Crouching Lioness, Hidden Dragon
by Claudi Skies
Summary: "What's Chinese New Year?" A shop in Diagon Alley that Draco Malfoy has never noticed before. An elderly lady that Draco Malfoy finds rather creepy. "You're Cho Chang's grandmother!" And what does Hermione Granger have to do with all this? Post-war.
1. One Elderly Woman

**Hey guys! I've decided to write a multi-chapter fanfic centered around Chinese New Year. As you can all probably guess, Cho Chang will definitely be one of the main characters. There may be a bit of Draco/Cho, but this is a DRAMIONE cause I love them. :) 2012 is the year of the dragon! So I did my math, and I decided to set this story in the year 2000, which was also the year of the dragon, to make things work.**

**So regarding the title, the Chinese idiom is "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." But to make it more Harry Potter-ish and to accommodate my story's needs, I changed the "Tiger" to "Lioness."**

**By the way, I'm part Chinese, and I annually celebrate Chinese New Year with the family. I hope this gives my story more credibility! ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but I do own one of the characters you are about to meet.**

**In honor of the first day of Chinese New Year, I have the first chapter done. Please enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Friday, February 4, 2000<strong>

Draco Malfoy was nineteen, rich, and single. The war was history, and life was relatively good. He and his family had been spared when the Ministry of Magic had sentenced all of the Death Eaters involved with the Dark Lord to Azkaban for life, and it was all thanks to his mother. The Boy Who Lived and Defeated You-Know-Who, as Harry Potter was commonly referred to nowadays, had testified before the wizarding court that Narcissa Malfoy had saved him and that she had been an important contribution to his success in bringing You-Know-Who to his demise.

He was the living proof. Draco and his father were pardoned for their treacherous acts in the past; the Ministry had done it as a favor for the wizarding world's newest heroine.

At first, post-war life had been difficult, with people constantly staring and whispering things to each other wherever he went. They didn't trust him, and Draco didn't blame them.

After he got by a year of doing good works such as volunteering at charity events and donating money, people began to treat him less coldly, and he was one step closer to being accepted back into society.

There was still a long way to go down the road to redemption, but he was determined to persevere to the end.

It was early afternoon, and he was running errands in Diagon Alley for his heroic mother. Blaise Zabini was accompanying him, and Draco was grateful he still had him as a friend—he had lost connections that were never reconciled with most of his former Slytherin housemates due to the war. And let's be honest—many of them still feared him because of his Dark Mark.

"Draco, I'm going into Flourish and Blotts to find a book. Meet you back here in ten minutes, alright?"

"Make that half an hour. I have to go withdraw some galleons from our family vault in Gringotts. We both know how long that can take."

Blaise snickered. "Have a nice ride." He waved and sauntered into the book shop.

"Bloody wanker." Draco muttered under his breath as he continued down the alley. (Who said that you had to have a clean mouth to be a good person?)

He passed by a peculiar shop and did a double take. How was it that he had never seen this shop before? He had walked by this part of Diagon Alley just last week—so what the bloody hell? If it looked this gaudy all year round, then it should have been impossible to miss.

He glanced around him, wondering why none of the other shoppers found the shop strange and out of place.

"Pardon me, sir." Draco called out to the man that was standing and reading a newspaper close by. "Is this shop always so…bright?"

The man peered over his newspaper to give him a funny look. "It only looks like this a few times a year. If it looked like this all the time, it wouldn't be here, if you catch my drift."

So it had been here for quite a while then.

Draco smirked. "This place could give Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes a run for their money when it comes to most eye-catching shop in Diagon Alley."

The man nodded in agreement. "Well, according to the Chinese, red is an auspicious color." He said no more and turned back to his newspaper.

There were weird characters in thick black ink everywhere—on the red door, on the red parchments, everywhere! There was a great deal of gold too—was that statue of an Asian-looking dragon made of solid gold?

"That would look pretty good in my room." Draco mused out loud. "On second thought…" He wrinkled his nose in distaste. He didn't know where the statue had been in the past, and he didn't really want to find out.

His eyes hurt from looking at all the red and gold the shop displayed, and they wandered up, catching notice of a sign.

Finally, something that he understood!

_Grandma Chang's Divination Shop_

What in Salazar's name? Divination Shop?

He immediately thought of Trelawney and shuddered. She was the reason why he never wanted to have anything to do with Divination ever again. It was all rubbish to him.

Draco hastily turned away from the odd shop and began to briskly walk past when he felt someone grab his arm. Tensing and acting on instinct, he jerked his arm away and whipped around to glare at the person who had dared to touch him. (Nowadays, he tried very hard to always appear as nice to even the most annoying people, but touching was where he drew the line. Touching was not okay.)

His glare faltered. It was an elderly woman. A smiling elderly woman.

"Nǐ hǎo!" She chirped.

Draco ran a hand through his blond locks in bewilderment. "Uh, look…I don't have the faintest idea about what you just said, but I apologize for my rudeness."

"Oh, don't worry about it, son." The Asian lady continued to smile at him.

Son? That was too intimate for his taste. She was just a little creepy. A little bit. Draco uncomfortably stuck his hands into the pockets of his trousers. At least she seemed to be fluent in English.

"Alright…I'll be on my way now. Have a good day, Madam." Draco politely bowed and made to walk away when the old woman gripped his arm again.

He resisted yanking it back this time. It took quite a bit of willpower, but he succeeded. "Was there something you wanted, Madam?" He asked with a clenched jaw.

Her smile widened. Draco was positively creeped out.

"Follow me, my boy! This way!" Her hold on his arm tightened.

"I'm sorry, Madam, but I have somewhere to go, and I'm meeting with a friend soon. Perhaps another time."

He was never coming back to this part of the alley again. His mother could go to Gringotts herself. He took out his wand, ready to Disapparate.

"Nonsense! It's only afternoon!" She waved her hand and started to drag him towards the open door of the red shop. When had the door opened? (But then again, this was Diagon Alley. Magic was no secret.)

_Dear Merlin, save me!_ Draco silently pleaded as he grudgingly allowed her to pull him along. Being kind just got a whole lot harder.

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><p><strong>And we meet Grandma Chang! That's it for the first chapter! <strong>

**Just if you're interested: "****Nǐ hǎo" is the phonetic spelling of "Hello" in Chinese. The Chinese characters are "你好".**

****I hope you guys are interested in sticking around for the rest. As much as I'd love to update daily, it's pretty impossible. But I'll update when I can! I'm not sure how long this will be yet haha, we'll see. :) ******~Claudi Skies**


	2. Two Changs

**I had time to write today, so here's the second chapter! **

**TwinsConspiracy: Thank you so much! Is this update soon enough? haha ;) To answer your question, red envelopes are usually red (hence their name haha), but they really can be any color you wish! Red is the traditional Chinese color, but I've seen pink envelopes as well. :)**

**Just ****Your Above Average Malfoy: 新年快樂 (xīn nián kuài lè)! That's Happy New Year in Chinese, and Happy New Year to you too! :D You're so kind, and you've reviewed all of my stories up to date, if I remember correctly! Thank you so much! :)**

**Thanks to all the people who story alerted and favorited! It's always so nice to know that people enjoy my stories!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but I do own Grandma Chang! I think she's pretty awesome haha.**

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><p>Dear Merlin, and he had thought the outside was bad—the inside was like a bloody Gryffindor's dream come true!<p>

If he hadn't already been traumatized for life because of the war, this would've done it.

Now, Draco felt like he was the one out of place. Not the shop. He was horrified and still rather creeped out. She was _still_ _smiling_ and _touching_ him.

Draco took a deep breath. He had only just been partially accepted back into wizarding society, and he wasn't about to let an old lady who was half his size drive him insane until he reverted back to his cold and heartless self—the person he had been before the war. He was different now, and he was determined to keep things as they were. He could continue to be nice. No problem.

"Child, please sit down!" She cried enthusiastically.

First "son," then "my boy," and now "child." Merlin!

He would rather not sit, but nevertheless (perhaps against his better judgment) let her lead him over to a round table that sported clusters of rolled up scrolls.

Draco slowly sat down in a cushioned chair and inwardly grimaced at how untidy this place was. His hands itched to organize the mass of parchments. (He was a neat freak and proud of it.) Was this really a shop?

"I'll make some oolong." She said, giving his arm a squeeze before (finally) letting go. He would have sighed in relief if he weren't so confused.

What in Salazar's name was oolong? It sounded poisonous, but he wasn't about to ask. First, it would make him feel inept, and Malfoys were not made to be inept. (They were made to be superior.) And second, she would probably launch into a detailed report of what this oolong thing was. She struck him as the talkative type—the kind of person he usually avoided. ("Just get to the point" had always been one of his mottos.) Besides, he didn't have time to spare.

"Oolong sounds nice." Draco managed to say, hoping that his voice didn't give away his uncertainty. He would act as a gentleman, quickly find out what she wanted, and leave.

"Alright, son, I'll be right back! Just make yourself at home!" She grinned, and Draco saw that her teeth were pearly white. He suddenly noticed that she looked healthy—a bit too healthy for her age. She must have been around seventy, but she appeared to be fifty. Even though he knew that magic could conceal old age to a certain degree, this made him even more creeped out. He watched her practically bounce over to a door that he assumed led to her personal space.

She had way too much energy for someone her age. Draco shook his head and frowned at the mess before him.

Along with the countless piles of scrolls covered with the strange characters in black ink, there was an object that was hidden underneath a piece of elegant cloth. It immediately caught his attention. He found himself marveling at the intricate designs that looked like they were hand sewn onto the red fabric that appeared to be made of silk. (A Malfoy knew fine material when he or she saw it.) He could distinctly make out two golden dragons from where he was sitting. When he leaned closer, he was not too surprised to find the dragons moving. Too curious to think twice, Draco lifted the magical cloth, mentally praising himself for correctly guessing that it was silk, to see what was underneath.

And he wished that he hadn't.

It was a bloody crystal ball. He started, remembering that he was currently inside of a _Divination_ shop. And that the elderly witch who used it and owned this shop was in the next room. Concocting something potentially life-threatening called oolong.

Dear Merlin. He had to get out of here.

And now was his chance. He knew that sneaking out wasn't exactly courteous, but now wasn't the time to worry about manners.

Draco bolted out of his seat and rushed to the door, glancing behind him to make sure that she was still in the other room before grabbing the bronze handle.

The door swung open before he could push it, and he froze. Standing before him was a girl that looked vaguely familiar. She appeared to be his age or perhaps a bit older, and she had the longest black hair that he had ever seen. It was stark straight and hung loose, reaching down to about her waist. She was a head shorter than him, but he supposed that she would be considered tall among women. She had a pretty and thin face complete with elegant eyebrows, large brown eyes framed with thick lashes, a tall bridge that complimented her pointed nose, a small patch of freckles, and full lips that were parted in surprise at the moment.

Surprise and horror.

The bag that she was holding unceremoniously slipped out of her grasp, but she didn't notice. She was looking up at him, and he was staring back.

Draco wondered if he had something on his face. He cleared his throat to speak. "Uh—"

"Draco Ma—Malfoy?" Her voice shook ever so slightly.

He arched an eyebrow. "That's me."

She balked and didn't say anything more.

"You look familiar." Draco said just to break the awkward silence.

"Well, we—we went to school together." She shuffled her feet and wrung her hands.

So she was just as uncomfortable as he was. It was oddly comforting and bloody annoying at the same time.

"I figured out that much." He deadpanned.

"You—you were a Slytherin." The girl began to fiddle with a strand of her hair. She was painfully bad at hiding her emotions. He was getting increasingly irritated by the second, and he needed to leave. She was in his bloody way.

"Right, I was. I don't remember which house you were in, but perhaps you can tell me some other time. I really need to go right now." He gave her a parting nod and made to step around her. She just happened to move to the same side as him, intending to step aside to let him pass, and hastily apologized, stepping to the other side.

He looked at her. She was furiously blushing and fidgeting even more than before. Her nervousness was really getting on his nerves. Before he could say anything, there was a clinking sound from behind him, and his heart sank.

"Oh, Cho! Welcome back!" The elderly woman's unmistakable voice filled the room. "You're just in time for tea, granddaughter!"

So her name was Cho? _Cho…Chang?_ Something clicked in his mind.

"Hey, weren't you Harry Potter's girlfriend a few years ago?"

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><p><strong>I hope you guys enjoyed the second chapter! I will definitely be updating again later this week. :) Please let me know what you think! ~Claudi Skies<strong>


	3. Three Mismatched People

**I'm writing the fourth chapter as I post this, so maybe it will be up later tonight! If not, then definitely tomorrow. :)**

**ThePrimusLune: You are so nice! You're also one of the people who has stuck with me from the beginning; I really appreciate it! Thank you so much, and Happy New Year to you too! Haha, well I try my best to keep the characters in character! ;) Hermione will be introduced in the next chapter!**

**Thanks to everyone who story alerted and favorited! You guys make me so happy!**

**Please enjoy!**

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><p>"Where the hell is that bloody wanker?" Blaise Zabini voiced his thoughts to the general vicinity. "Did he get lost in Gringotts?"<p>

He received a few blank stares, but no answer. Running a hand through his hair, he leaned against the wall next to the entrance to Flourish and Blotts with his book in hand.

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><p>Bloody hell. He had not meant to say that out loud. She probably thought that he was the same insensitive git he had been back in their school days. Even though she hadn't personally been the victim of his torments back then, she must have heard rumors.<p>

So much for being nice.

Her face was livid, eyes flashing and lips set in a thin line. Without uttering a single word, she bent down to pick up her bag and breezed past him.

Draco really didn't get it though. It was just Potter, for Merlin's sake! What's so great about The Boy Who Lived and Defeated You-Know-Who anyways? Aside from the fact that he survived multiple encounters with the Dark Lord, he was rather plain. He looked plain, talked plainly, and was just plain _plain_. Draco was aware that he was childishly rambling to himself in his mind, but he didn't really care. He was much better looking than Potter. Smarter. And richer. (He wouldn't accept the fact that Harry Potter could possibly be just as rich as he was now—the fame, fortune, and glory of being a bloody war hero.) Why couldn't anyone see it?

Dear Merlin. He was going insane. Now he knew that he really needed to get out of here.

"Cho! You never told granny that you dated Harry Potter in the past!"

Leave it to the outspoken woman to make things worse.

Draco still had his back turned to them, the door was still open, and the streets of Diagon Alley were still _right there_. A mere two feet away from where he was standing. Just one step and he would be out of the shop.

"Grandma," Cho sighed tiredly, "it's all in the past. It doesn't even matter anymore."

If it didn't matter anymore, why did she seem to still be so touchy about it then? The women of the Chang family had some serious problems; Draco didn't know how else to phrase it. It was the truth!

He turned around to face them. "Look, I'm sorry I offended you. It didn't mean to come out like that." Draco rubbed the back of his neck as he internally cringed. He didn't really mean what he had just said, but he would just have to deal with it if he wanted to be forgiven and free to _leave_. (Nowadays, leaving without properly apologizing would be a weight on his conscience. Imagine that. He was becoming soft in too many respects.)

"I forgive you, dear boy!" Cho's grandmother shouted ecstatically. Draco fought against the urge to silence her with his wand. (For eternity.)

Her granddaughter shot her a look that hinted at amusement before locking eyes with Draco. She looked abashed all of a sudden, and he was more confused than ever. Hadn't she been fuming only a few seconds ago?

"I'm sorry too…it's already been more than three years, and yet I'm still sometimes bitter about it—not so much the brief relationship I shared with Harry, but the events that happened during our relationship. And of course, the events prior to it. Anyways, I dated a couple of other guys after him, but none of them made me happy."

_Why is she telling me this? I don't want to bloody know!_ Draco silently exclaimed in exasperation.

"My poor granddaughter!" The elderly witch vigorously pulled the younger Chang into an embrace.

"Grandma!" Cho was thoroughly embarrassed.

"Don't worry, child, granny will find the perfect boy for you. Don't you worry, my dear." Her grandmother cooed.

Draco blanched. (And that was nearly impossible, considering his naturally pale complexion.) He could have sworn that the hag had meaningfully glanced in his direction when she said that. Dear Merlin! He never asked for any of this to happen to him!

He looked down at his watch and was startled to find that it was already two. He was supposed to meet Blaise fifteen minutes ago, but here he was, in a Divination shop with a creepy lady who wanted to play matchmaker and her slightly emotionally unstable granddaughter. And he didn't have the bloody galleons for his mother yet. Could this afternoon get any worse?

"Thank you for your kind hospitality, Madam." The words sounded like a lie to his own ears. "But, I really must get going. I'm late for an appointment with a friend."

"Oh, you are most welcome, and please call me Grandma Chang or granny!" The old woman released her flustered granddaughter. "I insist that you stay and taste the oolong! Please invite your friend as well!"

Invite Blaise to taste this oolong thing? He certainly didn't want Blaise's death on his conscience. But then again, he would be dead too.

A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he inwardly grinned. "Alright, then I shall go find him. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Like hell he will. He gleefully turned and stepped out the door, breathing in the scent of fresh air and freedom. Air had never smelled so good.

But it all turned sour when he heard shuffling sounds behind him.

_You have got to be kidding me!_ Draco groaned to himself.

Expecting to find the old lady tailing after him (like the creepy person she was), he was more than surprised to see his former schoolmate behind him and biting her lip guiltily.

"Grandma told me to come after you just in case you get lost." She mumbled.

_Lost?_ He scoffed. "You can go back and tell her that I know Diagon Alley like I know Malfoy Manor." It wasn't exactly true, but she didn't need to know that he had no clue her grandmother's shop existed until today.

She flushed. "I—I know, I did, but she still sent me. Let's just go find your friend already, alright?"

He arched an eyebrow, but remained silent. He was sure that the old lady was just making sure that he didn't just leave, which was exactly what he had in mind the whole time. Perhaps he had underestimated her._ Damn it!_

What had he ever done to the Changs to deserve this?

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><p>"Draco Malfoy, you're a dead man!" Blaise threatened to no one in particular, glaring at everything and everyone in front of him.<p>

Little did he know that Draco was ironically on the way to bring him to his "death."

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><p><strong>Draco is so silly; he still doesn't know that oolong is just a perfectly harmless type of traditional Chinese tea. Did you guys know what oolong was before Grandma Chang mentioned "tea" in the last chapter?<strong>

**H****ermione Granger will finally appear in the next chapter! ~Claudi Skies**


	4. Four or More Things to be Peeved at

**And here's the fourth chapter!**

**ThePrimusLune: Haha, I could give _you_ a kiss for being so supportive! So, mwah! You're awesome! :)**

**Just Your Above Average Malfoy: Your review made me smile. :) But in all honesty, I would probably be freaked out if I didn't know what oolong was...doesn't it sound a bit ominous?**

**As always, thanks to all the wonderful people who story alerted and favorited!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Grandma Chang...and she owns her shop.**

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><p>Hermione Granger was twenty, rich (though she didn't like to show it off like some constantly enjoyed to do), and single. Her romantic relationship with Ron Weasley had ended last year, but both agreed that a platonic relationship was still possible.<p>

After the Second Wizarding War ended in May 1998, she and a few other of her schoolmates had returned back to Hogwarts for the last year of education they missed. To be honest, Hermione had only gone back to take her N.E.W.T.s—she had been reading seventh year textbooks since her fifth year. As expected of "The Brightest Witch of Her Age," she had passed with flying colors and was almost immediately offered an important position in the Ministry of Magic's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Something inside of her had known that if she had not been a war hero and Harry Potter's best friend, she might not have received such a high position, regardless of her N.E.W.T.s. But, she had gratefully accepted the job, as "Seize an opportunity when you're given one" was one of the mottos she lived by.

Today, she was attending to personal matters in Diagon Alley North, as she had been given the day off—a personal reward for her hard work from the Minister for Magic himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt. She (of course) had her entire day planned out before she went to sleep the night before. Waking up at precisely six thirty, she had spent one hour getting dressed and making breakfast, then she had gone to her Muggle home to visit her parents. The three Grangers had a pleasant morning and lunch together full of jokes and laughs, and now, her destination was Gringotts to exchange some of her bills and coins for galleons and sickles.

Everything was going according to plan, and she smiled to herself.

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><p>"Where the hell is that bloody wanker?" The platinum blond frowned. He was frustrated and positively peeved—at the girl accompanying him, the lady back at the shop, the friend who was supposed to be waiting here, the smiling strangers ambling up and down the alley...oh, and himself. For getting into this bloody mess.<p>

The black-haired beauty beside him shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Perhaps—perhaps your friend left to find you?" She tentatively suggested.

His frown deepened. They were standing in front of Flourish and Blotts, and the tall Italian was nowhere to be seen. Without a warning, he whirled around and began his angry trek down Diagon Alley North towards Gringotts. The girl hurried to catch up.

He was going to murder Blaise Zabini if the oolong didn't beat him to it.

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><p>"Granger?"<p>

The brown-haired witch in question looked up. And almost dropped all of the coins she had just exchanged in surprise. "Zabini?"

The dark-skinned wizard gave a half-smile. "Fancy seeing you here. Did Shacklebolt give you the day off?"

She nodded. "What about you?"

He casually shrugged. "Don't worry, Granger, I'm not ditching work—I'm just taking a much-needed lunch break."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Lunch was over almost ninety minutes ago."

Blaise chuckled. "We'll keep this secret between the two of us, alright?"

She pursed her lips and gave him an incredulous look, but didn't say anything.

"Anyways, did you happen to see Draco on your way here?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "Draco…Malfoy?"

His eyes flickered in amusement. "Do you know any other Draco?"

"Oh." She frowned, acknowledging his point. She hadn't seen him since the war, but she had heard a great deal about him. He was a rather popular subject in the wizarding media and press, and she had listened enough to know that he had changed. They all claimed that he had changed for the better, but Hermione wouldn't believe it until she saw it with her own eyes.

Blaise stared at her, frowning as well. "I take that you haven't then. Well, if you do see him, pass on a message for me will you? Tell him that he's a foul git."

Hermione was appalled. "I will do no such thing! Why don't you tell him yourself?"

"Because I'm leaving." He rolled his eyes. "See you later, Granger." He gave her a small wave and without waiting for her response, strolled out of the bank.

Her wallet and coins slipped out of her hands. The goblins paused in their work to glower at her.

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><p>Draco came to a stop in front of the doors to Gringotts. He could hear Cho trying to catch her breath behind him, but he was too agitated to care. If Blaise wasn't on the other side of these doors, then he would have to return to the shop—<em>alone<em>. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep his temper in check for; the Changs were trouble, and they seemed to be provoking the worst in him. Even if they weren't aware of it.

Blaise had a way of making him calm down, and Draco knew that he probably wouldn't have made it this far after the war had it not been for him. But, that didn't change the current situation at hand—Blaise Zabini was still a bloody wanker.

Taking a deep breath, Draco reached for the handle and promptly froze as the door was opened from the other side. The last time this happened, he had unexpectedly come face to face with Cho Chang.

And as Merlin would have it, he found himself locking eyes with the one and only Hermione Granger.

Finding the wanker suddenly didn't seem so urgent anymore.

He took this moment of awkward silence to observe her. Her face was just as pretty as he remembered it to be—dark regal eyebrows, warm hazel eyes framed with thick lashes, a pointed nose that accentuated her soft facial features, a light blush across her cheeks, and pink kissable lips. Hold on a bloody minute...kissable? He mentally slapped himself. Her tamed brown hair fell in luscious waves down to the middle of her rib cage, and since his eyes were there, he thought that he might as well look at what she was wearing.

It was still winter, and she was thus smartly bundled up in a white scarf and a long red (not that bloody color again!) coat that reached down to her knees, so it was impossible to see what she was wearing underneath. However, Draco could still tell that her body had definitely physically matured since he had last seen her. Feeling like a pervert, he darted his eyes down to her feet, which were clad in boots. And by the looks of it, Muggle boots. Some things would just never change.

"M—Malfoy?" Hermione felt her face heat up. How was it even possible for someone to be this flawlessly handsome? His eyes met hers again, and she gazed into the mysterious pools of gray that were outlined by the long eyelashes she had first noticed back in their schooldays. He had an aristocratic nose that tacitly informed everyone around him that he was of high class, and his hair was still the same white-blond that stood out in a sea of people. One blond brow was arched, and his lips were forming a smirk.

His infamous smirk. The one that she abruptly realized she had missed over the last two years.

"You'll have to do." Draco mused.

"What?" Hermione was confused.

He grabbed her hand. She gawked at him.

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><p><strong>This chapter was so much fun write, and hopefully you guys had just as much fun reading it! :) ~Claudi Skies<strong>


	5. Five or More Things to Tell Yourself

**Hello readers! I wanted to update sooner, but I was swamped with school work...yeah, high school really sucks.**

**bigtimerangergirl123: Thank you! Hopefully I'll be writing for a long time! ;)**

**ThePrimusLune: Hahaha, you are amazing! Your reviews always make me laugh. Yup, they are starting to fall for each other, but it's not going to be that simple! And Blaise...he should watch his back. :)**

**TwinsConspiracy: Thank you so much! Haha nice guess! I promise to update when I can! :)**

**Just Your Above Average Malfoy: Hahaha, yes oolong is a _very_ ominous word. Thank you! Did I ever mention how much I like your pen name? I wish I were an above average Malfoy! ;)**

**Disclaimer: Well, I don't own anyone or anything but a creepy old lady with an equally creepy shop.**

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><p><em>What are you doing, Hermione? Why are you holding his hand? Oh, Godric! Help me!<em> Her mind was bombarded with various thoughts, all of which scolded her for what she was doing.

And yet, she couldn't seem to let go. Or look away. Something about him was just too irresistible.

_But he never affected you like this in the past!_ It screamed. _Stop with this nonsense, Hermione! Remember who this man is! He was the source of your misery for years at Hogwarts! He was once a _Death Eater_!_

That did it. The rational Hermione Granger was back after recovering from a "sudden lapse in judgment."

Yanking her hand away, she glared up at the man before her. Her resolve was firm; she wouldn't let her guard down until he proved that he was worthy of her trust, something that the Draco Malfoy she had known in the past never earned. In fact, "trust" and "Draco Malfoy" just didn't go together.

"Still defensive as always, Granger." He remarked, a smirk still pulling at his lips.

There were so many things that she wanted to say to him, but she knew that it was best to hold her tongue; some questions regarding the war treaded in dangerous waters and others like "How have you been?" were just plain stupid. She briefly wondered how her brain even came up with something so…abnormal to ask him. It would be normal if it was anyone else, but this was her childhood arch-nemesis. So, she went with the safest choice.

Hermione continued to soundlessly glare at him.

She could do this. She could treat him just as she had back in their schooldays. No problem.

The smirk disappeared. "Granger, I'm not going to hurt you." He sounded as if he had just been insulted.

She was surprised and almost swayed by the fierce conviction in his voice, but her face showed otherwise. "And you expect me to believe that because…?"

Draco's gaze grew intense, and Hermione struggled to not look away in embarrassment. (Looking away could be misinterpreted as cowering, and Gryffindors did not cower! They conquered!)

"I am no longer the boy who once tormented you."

"You didn't just torment me, Malfoy. You hated my very being." She shot back and discreetly grimaced upon noticing that the words didn't come out as venomous as she had intended them to be.

He frowned, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Granger, wherever did you—"

"You're…Cho Chang?" Hermione interrupted, blankly staring at the girl she had just spotted behind Draco's tall and lean frame. (She wouldn't allow her brain to add "handsome and attractive" to the list. It took quite a bit of self control, but she managed.)

The witch in question offered a polite but wry smile. "Hello, Hermione. Long time no see."

A true gentleman, Draco took a step to the side so that the two women could properly faced one another.

"Yes…it has been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Nearly two years, I believe. How have you been?"

So she wanted to ask the question Hermione had stopped herself from asking Draco.

"Fine, I suppose. What about you?"

"Yes, just fine."

"That's great."

And the conversation died. (Awkward.)

Hermione Granger was no idiot, but she certainly felt like one at the moment. She was rather proficient at making small talk with friends and strangers alike, but Cho Chang was neither a friend nor stranger. Sure, both of them graduated from Hogwarts (excluding the fact that they were a year apart), were once members of Dumbledore's Army (excluding the fact that Cho's friend betrayed them), and intimately knew Harry Potter (excluding the fact that Cho was his ex and used to be jealous of Hermione for her role in Harry's life). But that was it. They could definitely relate to one another to some degree, but the differences between them far outweighed the similarities.

She didn't know what to say. (And who could blame her? What do you say to your best friend's ex when the only mutual topics to bring up may reopen wounds of the past?)

On the other hand, Cho Chang had a lot to say. The part of her that still carried a minuscule flame for Harry wanted to ask about him. And contrary to Hermione's thoughts, a big part of her was aching to finally be able to sit down and have a long talk about the events of the war—in particular, Cedric's death. Harry never completely gave her the closure she yearned for, but perhaps Hermione Granger could. Cho hadn't really liked her in the past, but the times have changed and her views with it.

Draco looked from one woman to the other. They were silently sizing each other up with unfathomable expressions on. Amused and bemused, he cleared his throat. "You two…" He began to say, and then shook his head, deciding that it was wiser if he didn't say anything.

"Hermione." Cho closed the distance between them and smiled brightly, gathering Hermione's hands in her own.

Hermione stared because she was stunned. Draco stared because he thought that Cho's smile reminded him of the one the creepy old lady constantly flashed. (Like grandmother, like granddaughter? What a scary thought.) He was also startled once again by her abrupt shift in demeanor; she had been sullen and shy just a few minutes ago. (This made him even more convinced that she was emotionally unstable.)

"Would you like to join us for afternoon tea?"

"Afternoon tea?" Hermione and Draco simultaneously echoed. Their eyes met in surprise for a fleeting moment.

Cho's smile widened, and Draco felt a chill run down his spine. "Yes, afternoon tea. Why don't we all return to my grandma's shop? She already has the tea prepared."

Hermione was a little suspicious of Cho's hospitality, but she didn't see any harm in getting reacquainted with a former schoolmate. Perhaps they could even become friends—she was willing to set aside their differences if Cho wished for the same. She had originally planned to stop by Flourish and Blotts for a book after exchanging money at Gringotts, but it could wait for an hour or two—she loved tea almost as much as she loved books.

_She already has the tea prepared. Afternoon tea._ Draco mulled over Cho's words in his head. _Tea? So then…oolong…Dear Merlin! Oolong was a type of poisonous tea!_

Overcome with dread, Draco stood rooted to the spot. He was not bloody going back. No one could make him.

"Afternoon tea sounds lovely." Hermione smiled.

And his weak resolve crumbled.

He found himself wondering why he had never noticed her pretty smile before, and then guiltily remembered that he had given her the impression for years that he hated her. In all honesty, he was sure that he never really hated her; he had just been dutifully fulfilling his role as the Malfoy heir, having been taught from a young age to treat "mudbloods" as inferior beings. With the Dark Lord gone and the war history, the Malfoy family (under Narcissa Malfoy's insistence) had started to adapt to the new and improved wizarding world—one where Muggle-borns were not discriminated. (For Lucius Malfoy, it was a long grueling process, but Draco was already well underway.)

Cho gave Hermione's hands a delighted squeeze before dropping them. "Just follow me back to the shop!"

The brown-haired witch gave him a brief sidelong glance as she walked past him. The two women began to make their way back up Diagon Alley North.

He could just leave. Cho Chang seemed to have forgotten about him. He could leave! But his feet seemed to have a mind of their own.

_What are you doing? Why aren't you Disapparating? This is your chance to bloody leave!_ _Take out your wand!_ Draco's mind shouted. _If you go back, you're going to die!_

The next thing he knew, he was standing behind the two women in front of the Divination shop. His feet were insane, but they knew that he wanted to show Hermione Granger that he was different.

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><p><strong>And that's it for the fifth chapter! I hope you guys liked it! <strong>

**Draco is still being silly...he'll be very surprised when he actually tastes the oolong in the next chapter! :) ~Claudi Skies**


	6. Six Porcelain Tea Cups

**Because I decided to write before getting to homework (haha), here's the sixth chapter! :)**

**Darc-lover: Thank you! And here's the next chapter! So did you get to drink some oolong? ;)**

**ThePrimusLune: Hahaha, oh you. Don't worry, I hear you. You're wonderful; thank you! By the way, I'm working on the final chapter of "Anything for You." :D**

**bigtimerangergirl123: Haha thank you! Well, hopefully this is satisfying! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just a regular student with a bad habit of procrastinating. **

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><p>Cho's grandmother owned a <em>Divination<em> shop?

Oh, Godric. Hermione visibly paled.

Her experience with Trelawney back in her third year hadn't been pleasant. To put it bluntly, she thought that Divination was rubbish.

And she certainly never thought that she would ever come across it again.

She made a mental note to be extra careful about what she said—she didn't want to upset anybody with her strong opinions.

_Calm down. Just think about the nice soothing cup of tea._ The sound of approaching footsteps shook her from her thoughts. She turned around to see the man who, unbeknownst to her, completely agreed with her sentiments on Divination.

"Malfoy, why are _you_ here?" Hermione demanded, forcing herself to sound more irritated than she actually felt.

His mind was asking him the same question. Draco tried his best to look nonchalant. "I was here before you."

She furrowed her brows in confusion. "What do you—"

Cho gave Hermione's arm an encouraging tug as she pulled open the door.

"Oh, children! You're back!" An excited voice came from inside the shop.

Draco heard Hermione take a deep breath before she hesitantly stepped into the shop. Weren't Gryffindors supposed to "charge in with their wands blazing"? How odd.

But then again, he was being hypocritical. He had been downright terrified about two hours ago when the old lady brought him into the shop. Draco Malfoy was not a Gryffindor in the slightest. (Thank Salazar for that!) He knew that he wasn't a valiant hero; he had always been the misguided and misunderstood villain who acted the way he did because of his upbringing. As a child, he never had the opportunity to think about his own wants and needs because everything had been decided for him. And now, when he wanted to try to be a hero with a strong will, he didn't know how to do it.

He was scared stiff.

_You weren't meant to be a bloody Gryffindor! It's okay to be a coward! Just admit it already and bloody _get out_ before you _get_ yourself _killed_!_ His mind urged.

_But he needs to prove that he's different! This has nothing to do with being a Gryffindor, but everything to do with him as a person!_ A new voice protested.

_Where did you come from? And why should he listen to you?_ His conscience accused.

_I'm his other conscience—his true voice. I know what he truly desires._

_Well, I'm the _rational _representation of Draco's thoughts. You're just an extra asset. Therefore, I am superior._

_I am as real as you are. I know what's best, Draco. Hell, even your feet know what's best! You know what, other conscience? I think that you want him to prove to the girl that he's changed, but you just don't want him to get killed in the process. See? I am very _rational_._

…_Shut up, you think too much. We'll just see which one of us Draco chooses to listen to._

Bloody hell. He was one bloody conflicted individual. There were voices inside of his head, referring to him in _third person_ and trying to advise him on what to do. Was it even normal to have a divided conscience? He was really starting to fear for his sanity.

"Dear boy, why are you still standing out there? Come in!" The overly ecstatic grandma called out.

_Once you cross this threshold, there's no going back. _

The warning was loud and clear. Draco took a huge gulp of air. Never mind his sanity—he was positively certain that it was already lost.

_I've already gotten this far. If I die, it won't be in vain. There's nothing to lose._

He wasn't ready, but he was going to take the chance. He was going to do what he could to be brave. He was going to do what he wanted to do for once.

Wondering if this was one of those enlightening moments in life, Draco stepped through the doorway. He instantly felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted off his chest. And it was true—his heavy burden of doubt was gone.

A small smile slowly graced his face, and the three women gaped at him.

_He's actually…smiling? And why is my heart racing? None of this makes any sense!_ Hermione was stupefied. (Not literally, but she felt as if she had been hit by _Stupefy_.)

_I never knew that Draco Malfoy had such an alluring smile._ _He should smile more often. _Cho was strangely in awe.

_What a handsome smile on a handsome boy!_ _Yes, he is exactly what Cho needs. _Grandma Chang silently marveled.

It vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and the women snapped out of their daze.

The first thing Draco noticed about the shop was that it was _clean_. What in Merlin's name happened in here? He distinctly remembered walking out the door of an atrociously untidy shop just two hours ago, so she must have used her wand to organize everything. He nodded his head appreciatively; magic was wonderful.

The second thing he noticed was that it looked even more like a Gryffindor haven than before. It was very disconcerting, but he would courageously deal with it. (Because he could be brave.)

"Come and drink the oolong before it gets cold!" The old woman beckoned, holding out a white cup decorated with what seemed like blue wisps of clouds. (The stereotypical Asian design, you know?)

Draco immediately identified it as porcelain china. It was fine, expensive, and came in a set complete with a tea pot and five other cups. He was impressed.

The blond carefully reached out to take the proffered cup and nearly let it slip from his grasp when he saw the brunette daintily taking tiny sips of Grandma Chang's tea. _Without dropping dead_ or even doubling over in pain.

Could he have been wrong in his assessment? (He finally realizes it!)

Dear Merlin. Now that he thought about it, he had been subconsciously under the impression that Cho's grandmother wanted to serve him poisonous substances when she only had good intentions from the start. She was creepy, but she wasn't a murderer. _Shite._ He was a horrible person. And he just ruined his good mood.

"I'm sorry." He blurted before he could stop himself.

"Whatever for, child?" The elderly Chang asked, setting down the tea pot she had been pouring.

_You moron! Now you have to explain!_ "For thinking that…oolong was lethal." He sheepishly mumbled while averting his eyes.

The old lady chortled loudly, Cho genuinely laughed, and Hermione giggled in disbelief.

_They think that it's funny! The nerve of them!_ He thought indignantly.

"Give it a try, my boy." Grandma Chang's eyes twinkled.

Draco looked down at the golden brown liquid speckled with bits of floating tea leaves and brought the cup up to his face. It smelled absolutely exotic, emitting a fresh and roasted aroma. He took a tentative sip and closed his eyes, relishing the warm sensation and slightly bitter taste.

"It's good, isn't it?"

His eyes snapped open at the sound of Hermione's voice. She was staring at him, her own porcelain cup lifted to her lips.

"Yes, it's unexpectedly good. It smells and tastes ethereal." He answered truthfully.

"Its name, oolong tea, comes from its Chinese name, wū lóng chá, which literally translates into black dragon tea. You can't really tell just by looking into your cup, but the tea leaves in the pot are curly and dark in color, giving it the visual effect of the physical traits of a black dragon." Hermione said in her know-it-all voice.

He gave her a smirk that she returned with a smile, and he knew that choosing to cross the threshold was the best decision he had ever made.

_Why did you just smile at him? And only a few moments ago, you were giggling because of something he said! Hermione, get a hold of yourself!_ She reprimanded herself.

Acting like she wasn't attracted to him just got a whole lot harder.

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><p><strong>I just had to make both Draco and Hermione conflicted people. Making Draco think to himself is rather amusing haha. There was a little bit more of Dramione in this chapter, and I hope to have more Dramione action in the coming chapters! But with Grandma Chang and Cho in the way, we'll see what happens. :)<strong>

**Just if you're interested: The traditional Chinese characters for oolong tea are "烏龍茶" (wū lóng chá). "**烏" (**wū), ****"龍" (**lóng), and "**茶" (****chá)** **translate into "black," "dragon," and "tea," respectively.**

**There will be more oolong in the next chapter haha, and we get into the real Chinese New Year stuff! I hope you guys have noticed that my chapter titles all start with numbers in chronological order haha. Sometimes, coming up with the title is harder than writing the actual chapter! ~Claudi Skies**


	7. Seven or More Guests

**I'm finally done with the seventh chapter! This one took me a while to write, but it's much longer than the previous chapters! :)**

**bigtimerangergirl123: I agree, but what's a plot without a few "antagonists"? ;)**

**ThePrimusLune: HAHAHA, Google translate always cracks me up...it literally translated "awesome chapter," but it isn't exactly accurate. Well, it's the thought that counts! Thank you so so so much! You're awesome! "Awesome" is a great word. :)**

**Just Your Above Average Malfoy: Haha, I love green tea! I only drink oolong once in a while. You're welcome, and thank you! Here's a kiss haha—mwah!**

**Thanks to everyone who favorited and story alerted...you guys make writing even more fun!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, Harry Potter is not mine. **

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><p>"Dear child, were you a Ravenclaw by any chance?" Grandma Chang asked as she squinted, scrutinizing Hermione's face.<p>

Draco snorted and ended up coughing and sputtering on his tea, making all three women turn to look inquisitively at him. "I drank too quickly." He smoothly lied.

Of course, Hermione saw right through him, but he was sure that he saw the corner of her lips twitch upward. However, Cho and her grandmother seemed to believe him, as neither of them said anything and the elderly lady gestured to the chair on Cho's right. Draco sat down in the indicated seat, but he secretly wished that he were sitting in the seat on the other side of Hermione. Well, sitting two seats away from her wasn't bad either—he had a clear view of her flushed face.

Hermione set down her cup and dabbed her mouth with a serviette before clearing her throat, feeling a bit flustered under the old lady's piercing gaze. "Actually, I was sorted into Gryffindor, although the Sorting Hat did consider placing me in Ravenclaw."

Grandma Chang nodded thoughtfully. "As a seer," (Hermione and Draco both involuntarily shuddered), "I can see that your Gryffindor bravery has helped you become the lovely young woman you are today. I am closed for business, but if you would like, my dear, I would be happy to foresee your imminent future."

"Um, thank you." Hermione was embarrassed. "But I think I'll pass on the Divination stuff. Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier—my name is Hermione Granger." She bowed her head politely.

"Oh! Harry Potter's best friend?" Grandma Chang clapped her hands together jubilantly. "No wonder you look so familiar!"

"Ah, yes…that's me." Hermione smiled at Cho's grandma, but being recognized as "Harry Potter's best friend" was getting rather tiresome. Well, it was what it was.

"And you know my granddaughter, Cho? Were you two friends back in school?" The old lady eagerly looked from one face to another.

"Um, well..." Hermione glanced at the woman to her right, wondering how to lightly explain her nonexistent camaraderie with Cho.

"Yes, we were _very_ good friends, grandma." Cho chirped brightly, swiveling in her seat to flash Hermione a dazzling smile.

Hermione gaped at her for a second before offering a dubious half-smile. _Forget trying to become friends with her—she's clearly up to something. I need to find out what her ulterior motives are._

Draco silently sipped his tea, taking extra care not to choke again. He was skeptical. _Very good friends? It doesn't seem like Granger thinks so, Chang._

"I'm glad! Cho never really told me about the friends she made at Hogwarts, and I had assumed that they were all Ravenclaws. It's good to know that she found a friend in such an accomplished Gryffindor!" Grandma Chang sighed in contentment.

_Oh, so Cho Chang was a nutty Ravenclaw. That explains a lot._ Draco noted to himself. (Too mean? Well, that's Draco Malfoy for you.)

"You're too kind, Madam." Hermione murmured humbly.

"Please call me Grandma Chang or granny, child!"

Hermione grinned. She was starting to like this warm and hospitable woman. There was just something about her granddaughter that wasn't quite right.

Cho's grandmother suddenly looked serious, and her eyes darted between the three young people sitting across the round table from her. "Hermione dear, are you and Draco good friends?"

"Wait—hold on a second, I never told you my name." Draco spoke up. He was creeped out again; this sensation was becoming all too familiar.

The old woman gave him an odd look. "Who doesn't know your name, dear child?"

She had a point.

He shrugged and leaned back in his seat, shooting a smirk at Hermione, who was at a loss for words. He was making _her_ answer Grandma Chang's question.

That annoying ferret!

"Well," she started awkwardly, "we're not exactly friends…"

"Then what are you two?" Cho's grandmother pressed, staring intently at the uncomfortable witch.

_Why is her gaze so unnerving? Maybe she isn't really all that warm and hospitable…_

Hermione honestly didn't know. She looked at Draco, who was still smirking at her. Were they still enemies? Not really—the "new" Draco hasn't done anything unforgivable _yet_. But they weren't friends either. So it was a borderline between enemies and friends? What does that mean anyways?

"We're not exactly friends because we're _more_ than friends." Draco's cool voice drawled, yanking Hermione out of her thoughts.

"What?" She and Grandma Chang exclaimed simultaneously. Cho was the only one who appeared to be unfazed; she turned the rotating Lazy Susan and helped herself to some more tea. (The Lazy Susan is the circular plate on top of a table…you know, the ones in restaurants?)

"Granger, I don't know why you're so astonished. You don't feel like we're supposed to be together?" He asked seriously, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Malfoy." Hermione snapped, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

The smirk reappeared. He stood up and made his way over to where she was sitting, his eyes never leaving hers. "Come on, baby. Just admit it."

_Baby?_ The part of her that was attracted to him swooned in delight.

"We need to talk." Hermione stood up and grabbed him by the wrist. "I'm sorry, we'll just be a minute." She dragged him across the room and out the door.

When the door closed behind them, Cho burst out laughing. _Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger? What a right joke!_ Her grandmother, on the other hand, didn't see what was so comical about the current situation. In fact, she was already plotting something in her mind.

* * *

><p>"What is your problem, Malfoy?" She immediately rounded on him.<p>

"Look, Granger, I think that it's in our best interest to act like we're romantically involved when we're around the Changs." He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his trousers.

"Why?" She demanded.

"Don't you think that they're suspicious? Especially the old woman. I know for a fact that she wants to set me up with her granddaughter."

Hermione stared at him. "You and Cho Chang?"

Draco scoffed at how preposterous it sounded. She giggled like it was the funniest thing she had heard all day. (And it really was.)

"What is your relationship with the Changs anyways?" She curiously inquired.

He ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. "There is no _bloody_ relationship. The old hag just seems to have taken a bloody creepy liking to me."

"So, it's actually in _your_ best interest. I don't have _anything_ to do with this."

"On the contrary, you have _everything_ to do with this. I know that you and Cho Chang are barely even acquaintances."

"I'm sure everyone except Grandma Chang knows." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Right, well, it seems to me that the Ravenclaw wants something from you. I don't know what, but she's up to something."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You think so too?"

"You're not the only one with astute observational skills." Draco retorted arrogantly. "Anyways, my point is—we're in the same boat. I certainly never thought this day would come, but alas, it has. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin. Fate is rather peculiar, don't you think?"

"You mean…we're going to _work together_ to figure out what the Changs are up to? Well, in your case, we know what Grandma Chang wants. We just have to prevent her from achieving her goal. This…might just work. And I could really use all the help I can get, since I don't know what I'm up against."

"Precisely. You'll help me, and I'll help you. And the easiest way to do that is to pretend to be a couple. You catch on quickly, Granger." He gave her a small smile.

"I wasn't called the 'Brightest Witch of Our Age' for nothing." Hermione found herself smiling back. "Hold on—did you just _compliment_ me?"

"What about it?" Draco asked nonchalantly.

"You _never _compliment others. Let alone someone like me."

His face abruptly darkened. "What do you mean someone like you? Granger, I'm not who I used to be, and I'm going to prove it to you."

"How?" She challenged.

One of the women with questionable intentions chose to interrupt at that exact moment.

Acting quickly, Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco's lean waist and could not help but notice that it felt almost _natural_. Which was very odd, as there had never been an occasion in the past where the two of them were this close in proximity; if they weren't bickering and calling each other derogatory names, then they were trying to avoid each other all together as much as possible.

Draco froze for a second when he felt her warm body gently pressed against his but recovered in record time and pulled her even closer to him as if it were the most habitual thing to do, inwardly grinning. _So she's taking the initiative…perhaps making her realize who I really am is going to be easier than I thought it would be._

"Don't think that this fake relationship is going to change anything, Malfoy." She whispered sternly into his ear.

Or not. Then, he smirked. _So she's playing hard to get? Well, I'm game._

Grandma Chang shuffled out in her slippers, her smile faltering a bit when she saw the seemingly intimate pair. "Draco dear, I meant to ask you sooner, but would you like to stay for dinner? Tonight is the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, and the Chang family would be honored if you joined us."

Dear Merlin. The Chang _family_? So there will be _more_ Changs? Things were already bad enough with just two! And what? Chinese New Year?

_I'm not even Chinese—or Asian for the matter! _"Actually—" Draco started to reject the invitation.

"Dinner sounds lovely." Hermione cut in. She wanted to start investigating as soon as possible.

Grandma Chang's smile completely vanished, and Draco arched an eyebrow, despite his inner turmoil. Someone clearly wasn't expecting Hermione to stick around. He tightened his arms around her, causing her to shoot him a strange look.

"Then, we'll both be staying for dinner. Thank you very much, Grandma Chang." He said with as much sincerity as he could.

It seemed to do the trick, as the old woman immediately beamed as if she had just won the lottery. "You are very welcome, my boy! It's tradition to have a family gathering on the eve of Chinese New Year, and the Chang family just recently started to celebrate the start of the new year in my shop. That's why I'm closed for business, you see—I spent the entire morning cooking for tonight and little time in the afternoon cleaning up with magic."

"Won't we be disrupting your family event? I mean, I'm not even a family member." Draco internally sighed in relief. Thank Merlin he wasn't!

"You may as well be one." She muttered quietly.

But not quiet enough. Draco was thoroughly disturbed, and Hermione was having a difficult time trying to not laugh. He frowned down at her, but she didn't notice, as she had her face buried into his shoulder, her body shaking with suppressed giggles.

"Well, I'm going back inside to do last-minute preparations. The other guests should be arriving very soon."

"May I ask how many people are coming?" He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know.

"Oh, let me see…my son and daughter-in-law, my other children, my other children-in-law, my other grandchildren, my grandchildren-in-law…oh my, I've lost count. Well, more than seven, dear boy." She smiled her creepy smile and disappeared back into the shop.

"You have got to be bloody kidding me." Draco felt sick.

Hermione dropped the arms she had around his waist and laughed to her heart's content. "She really wants you to be one of her grandchildren-in-law, huh?"

He shot her a dirty look.

"Well, think of it this way—the dinner tonight might just be a valuable chance for us to figure things out." She reasoned.

"_But how many more Changs are there?_ I can't take it anymore! I'm going to be just as insane as she is! You know, I found a crystal ball in her bloody Divination shop."

"A crystal ball? That reminds me of…"

"That barmy Trelawney? Yeah, my thoughts exactly."

"That's not very nice of you."

"I'm different, but I'm still not and won't ever be the nicest person around. Get used to it. Besides, it's the truth."

"Yes, unfortunately."

"…Granger, did you just agree with me?"

"It surprises me just as much as it surprises you, Malfoy."

"I daresay that this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship."

"And I daresay that you're wrong."

"Ouch, Granger. That hurts."

"Call me 'baby' one more time, and you will hurt even more."

"Alright, calm down; no need to get your knickers in a twist. It was just a slip of the tongue. Granger, you need to live a little."

Actually, he had just been caught up in the moment, and it had been a priceless opportunity to tease her—so why not? But she didn't need to know that.

"Humph."

Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy engaging in playful bantering? It was the start of something significant, alright.

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><p><strong>So, I never knew that "serviette" was the British term for "napkin" until I looked it up. Or did the internet lie to me? Haha :)<strong>

**Just if you're interested: My parents make my sister and I clean everything when it gets close to Chinese New Year, and my mom busies herself in the kitchen on Chinese New Year's Eve until our relatives arrive for dinner. I write based on personal experiences! :)**

**I think Blaise will be brought up again soon, and next chapter—even more Changs and more information on Chinese New Year! Dinner is going to be huge and interesting. ~Claudi Skies**


	8. Eight Grandchildren

**This chapter took me FOREVER. I had to come up with all of the names for all of the Changs...there are twenty-six of them. Yup, pretty big family hahaha. ;) So if any of the names are actually names of people that you know, it's purely coincidental!**

**bigtimerangergirl123: This chapter is definitely longer than the others! Thank you! :)**

**TheCommenter: Haha thank you! Happy belated Chinese New Year to you too! :D**

**ThePrimusLune: Hahaha, you're always so excited! It makes me really happy to know that I have readers like you to count on! ;)**

**UschiBuschi: Oh yes, I completely agree...Draco is gorgeous! :D Thank you!**

**Just Your Above Average Malfoy: It's the same for the Chinese too. We don't clean on New Year's Day, but I believe that cleaning on New Year's Eve is still fine haha. At least I'm always still cleaning on New Year's Eve...right before our guests arrive for dinner. :P Yeah, there are SO many Chinese superstitions! I don't even know half of them haha. :)**

**TwinsConspiracy: We'll see what Grandma Chang is up to soon enough... ;)**

**CrunchyMunchers: THANK YOU! :)**

**Wow, I got so many nice reviews for the last chapter! I love you guys! As usual, thanks to everyone who story alerted and favorited! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: There weren't twenty-six Changs in the Harry Potter series...so nope, I don't own Harry Potter. Looks like I own a whole lot of Changs though. :D**

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><p>"Cho, hurry and go change! The guests will be here at any minute now!"<p>

The brunette and the blond stepped back into the shop, gripping onto each other's hand. Neither was particularly comfortable about being under the roof of the Divination shop again, but both had a reason to be. Their purpose and pride were the only things keeping them from hightailing it out of Diagon Alley.

One of their targets was humming as she set the round table. Draco balked. There had to be at least twenty bloody chairs around the table! And that's not the end of it—there was another table with five placemats, plates, serviettes, and pairs of chopsticks set up a few feet away from the first one. Dear Merlin.

"Okay, grandma!" Cho arranged the last placemat she had in her hand before looking up to smile at Hermione. "Come on, Hermione! Let's go get changed."

The witch blinked. "Um, get changed? What's wrong with what I'm wearing right now?"

Cho laughed loudly, and the pair exchanged a wary glance. "Nothing's wrong with what you're wearing, Hermione, but I think that you'll look nice in a traditional Chinese qí páo. We seem to be about the same size, so come on!"

"What's a qí páo?" Hermione whispered to Draco.

He shrugged. "How should I know? All of these Chinese things sound suspicious to me."

"Um, alright then." Hermione conceded. She shot him an uncertain look, and he gave her hand a sympathetic squeeze before letting go. He hoped that she came out alive—he really didn't want to be left alone to fend for himself. The night was only just beginning.

Taking a deep breath, she followed the black-haired woman up the stairs. She briefly wondered if the stairs had been there the entire time, but there were more urgent things on her mind.

_I can't believe I don't know what a __qí __páo_ _is! It does sound familiar though…ugh, I need to brush up on my knowledge of Chinese culture._ Hermione Granger wasn't sure what to expect, and she hated feeling unprepared and vulnerable.

Cho quickly ushered her into a small room at the end of the short hallway and closed the door behind them. It appeared to be a bathroom with a closet embedded into one wall.

"Take your pick!" She threw open the closet door and grinned.

"Wow." Hermione breathed in awe. It was like a rainbow inside the closet—there were long silk dresses of almost every color imaginable.

Cho nodded happily. "I'm really proud of my collection. I've been wearing qí páos since I was a little girl. See? I have some small sizes here—I save all of them even after I've grown out of them. Call it my guilty pleasure if you will, but I'm always buying new ones. That's why I have so many." She laughed, and Hermione could not help but join in.

_Either Cho Chang is actually a genuinely sweet girl, or she's a better actress than I gave her credit for._ The brunette made a mental note to herself.

"I keep all of them here because we're always celebrating Chinese holidays at my grandma's shop." Cho said as she flipped through her collection. "Hey, how about this one? You look very pretty in periwinkle, if I remember correctly." The Ravenclaw hinted with a sly quirk of her lips as she unhooked the lavender blue dress adorned with a magnificent dragon and Chinese floral patterns from the rack.

"Are you referring to my Yule Ball dress robes from six years ago?" The Gryffindor asked in disbelief.

"What else could I be talking about?" Cho teased lightheartedly. "Everyone was staring at you that night—even Draco Malfoy."

Hermione snorted, but a blush bloomed on her cheeks.

"Try it on! I'm not sure what's going on between you and Malfoy, but he'll fall head over heels in love with you when he sees you in this."

Malfoy? Head over heels in love? _With me?_ Hermione snorted again, but something was stirring inside of her. She felt strangely warm, and her heartbeat involuntarily sped up. _Traitor!_

"I'm not wearing this for him." The Gryffindor stated resolutely. "But fine, I'll try it on."

Cho grinned and handed the dress over to her before taking a cream colored qí páo out of the closet. "I'm going to go change in the room across the hallway, so knock on my door when you're done, okay? I'll do your make-up for you."

Hermione smiled, and the Ravenclaw let herself out the door.

As the witch looked down at the beautiful silk clothing in her hands, she was hit by a sudden realization. _So a __qí __páo_ _is the same thing as a cheongsam—a mandarin gown!_ Hermione nodded to herself, and she instantly felt better.

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><p>Draco Malfoy had never felt self-conscious in his life. And yet, here he was, feeling incredibly self-conscious like the bloody coward he was trying not to be. But in his defense, anybody would be feeling self-conscious if he or she had more than twenty unfamiliar pairs of eyes on him or her. He fiddled with his shirt and silently cursed the old woman for the umpteenth time for forcing him into this traditional Chinese top. Well, at least it was made of silk and of a tolerable color—a dark shade of gray.<p>

He knew that they weren't staring at him because of what he was wearing. All the men were wearing something similar, and the women were in traditional gowns that looked too tight for comfort and fell to the knees or below.

_Sucks to be them._ Draco snickered to himself before sobering. They were most likely staring at him because they knew who he was—and to be specific, what he had done in the past.

_Get a hold of yourself. You're different now, and you're a _Malfoy_! Malfoys don't feel self-conscious—they make others feel self-conscious!_

Pretending to be indifferent, he put on his usual stoic façade and coolly gazed back at the people around him with his hands tucked into the pockets of his trousers. There were men, women, and children; he counted thirteen males, and including Cho and her grandmother, who were not present yet, thirteen females. With a start, he realized that there were four generations of Changs gathered here for dinner: Grandma Chang, her children, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren. _Holy shite. Did the Changs marry and give birth early or something?_

The guests came in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and he was surprised to find that not all of them were full Chinese—there were four brunettes and two blondes that appeared to be half or not Asian at all. _Hm, interesting. Interracial marriages? So it seems like two people of different backgrounds and cultures can be happy together…perhaps Granger…hold on. Why am I thinking about Granger? Bloody hell!_

Shaking his head to get rid of his outrageous thoughts, Draco concluded that Cho Chang was the best looking one in the family. Some of her younger female relatives were pleasing to the eye but not nearly as attractive as the Ravenclaw. He looked from face to face, internally smirking at all of the confused expressions—they didn't know why he was here, and he resisted the sudden urge to roll his eyes. _Believe me, I wouldn't be here if I didn't have to be._

His eyes landed on a black-haired girl who was the only one looking at the ground. She seemed to be around the same age as him. As if she sensed his gaze, her eyes snapped up to meet his before they darted away. She turned pink, and he raised an eyebrow in amusement. _I know, I'm just too unbearably sexy._ He smirked arrogantly.

His narcissistic thoughts were rudely interrupted when something collided with his legs. Frowning, he looked down at the boy with disheveled brown hair and coal black eyes. The little bugger was _hugging his legs_. Draco ran a hand through his hair in annoyance; he had never liked children.

"You're the man I see all the time! In the newspaper!" The little boy exclaimed in delight. _Creepy little bugger. He must take after his great-grandmother._

"Augustus!" A stern feminine voice broke the silence.

"Yes, mum?" The boy asked innocently. His hold did not loosen, and he was still staring up at Draco. The Slytherin glared down at him, and the boy's face broke into a radiant smile. _What the hell is wrong with this kid? I know that I attract women all the time—but am I a magnet for cheeky little buggers as well? Merlin!_

A young brunette woman with green eyes, who Draco deduced was the said cheeky bugger's mother, pulled the little boy away and smiled ruefully. "I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy. My son has a bad habit of clinging onto people. I'll make sure that it doesn't happen again."

_Well, that's a bloody annoying habit. I almost feel sorry for him._ Draco wanted to say that it had better not happen again, but he reminded himself to play nice. "Please call me Draco, and it's quite alright. I've dealt with little bu—children before, so I know how it is." _That was a close call._

The woman gave a small chuckle. "I'm Iris Alden, by the way. My mother, Lucy Chang, is Grandma Chang's second daughter, and standing next to her is my father, Martin Alden. That's my husband, Shane Sun." She gestured to all of the members of her immediate family, and Draco gave them curt nods that were returned with either a smile or a tilt of the head. He really hoped that she didn't go on to introduce her extended family as well. "And this is my son, Augustus, and my daughter, April."

Another little bugger. He wanted to groan but forced a stiff smile at the two children gazing at him.

"We're twins!" The first little bugger named Augustus announced. Twin buggers. Lovely. At least April didn't have the same habit Augustus was cursed with. (Thank Merlin for that!)

"That's great." Draco lied. He didn't know what else to say, and the shop was silent once again. _Dear Merlin, save me from this agony!_

And his prayer was heard. A creak came from behind him, and the Chang family looked past him to behold the source of the noise. There were a few sharp intakes of breaths and gasps of admiration. Then, they were all muttering and whispering to one another.

"Is that…?"

"Hermione…war heroine…?"

"It's her!" Augustus pointed, his eyes shining brightly as he shook his sister's arm excitedly. "It's the pretty lady we saw in the newspaper!"

Draco snorted. Who hasn't the kid seen in the newspaper? He turned around, ready to give Granger a piece of his mind for leaving him alone for so long. But the caustic words died in his throat when he saw her. Her eyes immediately found his.

She was positively breathtaking. The periwinkle silk dress she was wearing showed off the curves that she always kept hidden under heavy clothing, and her hair was elegantly piled up into a bun on the top of her head. A few loose tendrils of hair delicately framed her face, which was lightly dusted with powder. Her hazel eyes, which were staring right at him and curiously wide at the moment, stood out against the black eyeliner and blue eye shadow. When his gaze fell to her red lips, he found himself wanting to taste them. He couldn't deny it—he wanted to kiss Hermione Granger. Badly. Bloody Hell.

Cho looked exotically beautiful in her qí páo and make-up as well, but Draco was too busy eyeing up the other witch to notice. She mouthed something to him that he didn't understand, so he arched an inquisitive eyebrow in response. A small smile graced her face, and she made to close the distance between them when Grandma Chang burst through the door that led to her personal quarters.

"Welcome, everyone! Happy Chinese New Year! Xīn nián kuài lè!" The old lady bent down to embrace Augustus, who had bounced over to her to hug her legs ecstatically. They made a creepy but strangely fitting pair.

A chorus of "Happy Chiense New Year!" and "Xīn nián kuài lè!" came from the crowd of Changs, and the elderly woman beamed at her family. "I know that you guys must be hungry, so it's time to eat!" She clapped her hands together. "Little children sit at that table, and everyone else around the round table!"

Her five great-grandchildren rushed to seat themselves, loudly fighting over which chair they wanted. (I remember doing this all the time when I was younger. Haha.) The grown-ups watched in amusement for a few seconds before they began to situate themselves around the round table. Draco narrowed his eyes. This table was large enough to fit twenty-three people? That's rather impressive.

A few minutes later, he found himself seated uncomfortably between Cho Chang and weird blushing girl (as he had dubbed her). Hermione was sitting all the way across the table from him and squashed between two random blokes that were both surreptitiously glancing at her out of the corner of their eyes. She looked a bit panicked, and he was bloody irritated.

What. The. Hell. Why couldn't he sit next to Granger for once? This must have been the old lady's plan—to separate the two of them. _The hag just has to complicate and ruin everything, doesn't she?_

"Now, before we eat, I would just like to say a few things." Grandma Chang announced. She was the only one standing. There were some impatient grumbles from the other table.

"I invited Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger to have dinner with us tonight—I hope that no one has any objections." She paused and looked at the blank faces in front of her.

Hermione bit the inside of her cheek to refrain from saying anything rash. The old woman had clearly not been happy when the Gryffindor had decided to stay for dinner. _So the Changs can put on fake acts of kindness, huh?_

"I don't mind!" Augustus the outspoken child yelled. There were a few chuckles, and Draco found himself smirking. He had to hand it to the kid—the little bugger knew exactly what to say to break awkward silences.

"Thank you, Augustus." His great-grandmother smiled warmly at him. "Why don't we all introduce ourselves to our two new guests?"

Damn it. Draco had never liked to learn new names.

Hermione, on the other hand, sat up straight in her seat and listened attentively, memorizing each name with precision. The family members briefly described their relationships with each other, and she noted that as well. Her final list came out to be:

**Grandma Chang – **four children, four children-in-law, eight grandchildren, four grandchildren-in-law, five great-grandchildren (Wow.)

**Henry Chang** – married to Julia Fang, three children

William Chang – married to Mariah Davies, one child: Leslie Chang

Adam Chang

Cornelia Chang

**Georgina Chang** – married to Bruce Ye, two children

Elliot Ye – married to Jane Hong, two children: Maximilian Ye and Charles Ye

Harold Ye – married to Amy Shu

**Richard Chang** – married to Ann Lee, one child

Cho Chang

**Lucy Chang** – married to Martin Alden, two children

Iris Alden – married to Shane Sun, twins: Augustus and April Sun

Zachary Alden

After Zachary finished introducing himself from his seat next to Hermione, Grandma Chang cleared her throat. "Tonight is Chinese New Year's Eve, and we're all gathered here to celebrate the end of 1999 and welcome 2000—a whole new decade. Let us toast to a happy and prosperous year of the dragon!"

She lifted up her glass of wine, and all of the people around the round table followed suit. The children scrambled to pick up their plastic cups of juice.

"Dinner is served! Please help yourself!" Grandma Chang waved her wand, and a whole feast was suddenly presented before her guests. Both Draco and Hermione thought of the late Professor Dumbledore as they watched her do that.

"She does that every year, but it never gets tiring." A voice to his right remarked.

Draco glanced at weird blushing girl in surprise. _So she talks!_ "Oh, really?"

"Yes." She smiled hesitantly. "Oh, if you didn't hear me say this before, I'm Cho's younger cousin, Cornelia. Cornelia Chang."

She was right; he hadn't bothered to learn any of the names. He neatly placed the serviette on his plate onto his lap before drawling, "I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy." He purposely mimicked her prose, hoping to make her agitated.

"I know." Cornelia said simply, undeterred.

She opened her mouth, and Draco turned his attention away from the strange girl, not particularly caring to hear whatever it was she wanted to say. The Changs were all bloody creepy and talkative.

He leaned back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest to observe Hermione. She was engaged in a seemingly friendly conversation with the bloke sitting to her left. He was openly laughing at something she had just said, and she was grinning. At that guy. Whose name was…something.

Draco felt oddly ill at ease. What was this sickening feeling?

"Malfoy, aren't you going to eat?" Cho asked him. Her plate was already piled with food. (Remind anyone of Ron? Haha.)

Hermione looked curiously over at him after hearing Cho's question. She gave him a brilliant smile and motioned to the excessive amount of food displayed on the Lazy Susan. He found himself smiling back, and it was then he realized that he was officially bloody attracted to Hermione Granger.

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><p><strong>Alright...I think I actually might know someone named William Chang. Hahaha. Do you guys like my random names? :) As you guys can probably tell, Augustus is definitely my favorite among all of Grandma Chang's great-grandchildren.<strong>

**Just if you're interested: The traditional Chinese characters for cheongsam are "旗袍" (qí páo).**

**Next chapter: More on the Changs, Chinese New Year food, chopsticks, and more "sickening feelings"! :) ~Claudi Skies**


	9. Nine out of Twelve Animals

**I'M SO SORRY for not updating sooner! This is long overdue...I took more than enough time to figure out where I want to go with this story, and now that I finally have an idea, hopefully I will be able to update faster!**

**bigtimerangergirl123: Thank you, as always! :)**

**ThePrimusLune: I LOVE reading your reviews, and I've definitely missed hearing your thoughts on this story...I hope you forgive me for not updating until now! It's been a month! I think I'm the evil one here...**

**TwinsConspiracy: Hmm, you're pretty good at guessing some of the plans I have in mind for the plot. ;) You'll find out soon enough!**

**Just Your Above Average Malfoy: Wow, I bet it's really pretty! Asian cultures rule. High five! :) I'm year of the dog by the way and in high school...so that makes me...?**

**elmstone: Thank you so much! I know this isn't exactly soon, but I hope it doesn't disappoint! :)**

**Blue-Lover-of-Some: Oh dear, I wouldn't want you to be devastated, so here! Haha, I am definitely not going to abandon this fic. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I own most of the Changs. Haha.**

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><p>Draco wasn't sure if he wanted to eat—his rumbling stomach signaled that he was hungry, but his over-analyzing mind questioned what exactly the stuff in front of him was.<p>

He could see that there was fish—three whole fish that were each about one foot long, to be exact. As he had never been a big fan of fish, he turned his eyes away. But they were the only dishes on the entire bloody table that looked familiar. What was that sticky spongy substance? And the dome-shaped thing that looked like it had filling inside? And those vegetables—there were so many different colors, shapes, and sizes…was that even normal? And don't even get him started on the noodles and rice—they looked bizarre.

To make a long story short, he had no idea what to eat. He would question whether most of the dishes were even edible, but everyone around him seemed to be enjoying them without any problems. Even Granger. Damn it. He felt like the odd one out again.

"Here Malfoy, have some of this." Draco was shaken from his thoughts when the Ravenclaw scooped up some of the spongy stuff and dumped the pile onto his plate.

"Care to explain what it is first?" He asked dryly, still regarding the food with wary eyes.

"It's called luó bo gāo." Hermione piped up, her face lit up in excitement. "But we commonly know it as turnip or radish cake. The Chinese associate it with good fortune for the coming year, as radish in Chinese is a homophone for 'good fortune' in Hokkien. Hokkien, by the way, is a dialect of Min Nan Chinese that is spoken throughout various countries in Southeast Asia."

"Granger, I don't believe I was talking to you." He smirked with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Draco secretly thought that she looked very appealing, even alluring, when she was on one of her tangents. But then again, he had just admitted to himself that she was an attractive woman. He found himself wondering whether she had been this attractive back in their school days—he'd never paid any attention to her because she hadn't been "worth it." How blind he was!

"A simple 'thank you' would have sufficed." The know-it-all witch sniffed as she made a futile attempt to conceal her smile.

"Ah. Well then, thank you." His smirk widened. She was considerably surprised for a moment before she looked away and lifted her glass up to her lips.

"You should have been in Ravenclaw, Hermione." Cho remarked. "Well, it doesn't matter anyways—we still got along just fine without being in the same house."

The Gryffindor and Slytherin shared an incredulous look. Again with the being friends thing. _Hm. _

None of them said anything more, and all returned to their food.

_Well, this doesn't look too bad up close. It smells rather good...even mouth-watering._ Draco's eyes moved to the right of his plate and landed on his eating utensil.

_Oh. Shite._ Chopsticks.

And he was back to square one. How was he going to eat with two bamboo sticks?

_If these people can do it, you can do it better._ He reminded himself as he licked his lips in anticipation. Snatching up the chopsticks, he cast a furtive glance at Cho's right hand to see how she held her chopsticks before copying her grip, silently hoping that no one noticed him.

But of course, while amidst a whole lot of Changs, he was hoping in vain.

"Do you not know how to use chopsticks?" Cornelia curiously asked in a voice that was a bit too loud for his liking. Granger, the irritating nameless bloke that was striking up a conversation with her again, and the Ravenclaw had all looked up from their plates to stare at him.

"It's none of your business." Draco bit out in aggravation, perhaps a little too harshly. But she was being bloody nosy, and he detested nosy people.

"Oh, y—yes…I suppose it isn't. I'm sorry!" The girl squeaked, dejected and embarrassed at the same time. She blushed, and he suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. _Weird blushing girl, indeed._

Hermione sent him a disapproving frown, and he smirked back, arching a challenging eyebrow that taunted her to say something. Her frown deepened, but she chose to ignore his unnecessarily snide retort and resumed her conversation with the tosser.

_She's probably judging me right now. So much for showing her that I'm different…_

"You didn't have to say it like that." Cho chastised him, shooting him a glare.

_Who is she to tell _me_ what to do? There is something seriously wrong with her—is she really the same girl that was acting all bloody timid and shy around me this afternoon? Hm, acting?_

"Fine. I apologize." He drawled as he fixed a keen eye on her.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." She fired back and took a sip of her wine.

_For Merlin's sake!_ Draco pinched the bridge of his nose wearily before shifting in his seat to look at the red-faced girl on the other side of him. _Shite, what's weird blushing girl's name again? Something –elia._

"Look, I'm sorry…Amelia."

The girl giggled, and he breathed a sigh in relief. _I'm glad that's over. Well, none of them have to know that I don't always mean what I say._

"My name is Cornelia." She giggled some more.

_Bloody hell. Please let me Silencio you. _"Oh. That's what I meant."

"Sure." Cornelia smiled and brandished her chopsticks. "Want me to teach you how to use these?"

Malfoys didn't ask for help from others, but he was ravenous enough to accept her offer. Besides, he didn't want to give her the impression that he had an issue with her—well, he had an issue with the Changs in general, but that's not the point. She wasn't one of their targets.

_Fine. I'll Silencio you later._

He half-heartedly listened to her drone on and on about the proper way to hold and pick up food with these sticks, completely unaware that Hermione was watching him out of the corner of her eye with a contemplative expression on.

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><p>Dinner had just ended, and they were all still seated around the two tables, helping themselves to some fruit. There were apples, melons, mandarin oranges, pomegranates, dragon fruit, and longan—and to Draco's dismay, they all had symbolic meanings. Why did they always have symbolic meanings? Symbolic meanings meant more explanations, and more explanations meant having to hear a Chang or multiple Changs talk. Why did they always have so much to say?<p>

Why was he here again?

"Apples are for peace!" Augustus shouted, looking extremely pleased with himself.

"Melons are for family unity!" April chimed in, giving her brother a smug grin.

"Oranges are for good fortune!" Charles yelled as he struggled to peel his orange. He let out a high-pitched squeal when the orange squirted him in the eye. (I swear, this happens to me _all the time_.)

Draco cringed. Not because the kid got citric acid in his eye—Merlin, no! The kid deserved it!—but because the little bugger was hurting his eardrums. This was one of the many reasons why he disliked children; they were capable of creating noise that was thousands of times greater than their size. That was very unfortunate.

Charles's older brother, Maximilian, grabbed it from him with an exaggerated sigh of exhaustion and peeled it without a word.

"Pomegranates…um…" Leslie scratched her head and pouted. Her eyes sought out her mother. "Mum, what about pomegranates?"

The blonde woman with cerulean blue eyes smiled at her daughter. "They're for fertility, sweetheart."

"What's fertility?" The little girl innocently questioned without missing a beat.

There were a few coughs and chuckles. Her mother seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Mariah, look at what you've done." The woman's husband, William, chided, even though he sounded as if he were trying not to laugh.

Biting her lip, Mariah flashed her curious daughter a smile. "Well, um…" She hesitated, wondering how to word this without mentioning certain things that Leslie and the other children didn't need to know about yet. (Awkward.)

"Fertility is just a woman's ability to have children. Because your mum was fertile, Leslie, she was able to have you. So basically, the Chinese believe that by eating pomegranates at the start of a new year, women may be able to have more children that year." Hermione supplied. Mariah shot her a grateful and relieved look that she returned with a charming smile.

Draco smirked to himself. That's typical Granger—providing appropriate explanations while aiding others at the same time. _She would make a great teacher…and a great mother. Did I really just think that? Merlin!_

"You're amazing, you know?" The black-haired bloke next to her marveled as he touched her arm in an intimate gesture. Draco's eyes narrowed. _That touchy and flirty git!_

"It's nothing." Hermione shrugged. Draco didn't miss the faint blush on her cheeks. The sickening feeling was back…and it was bloody bugging him.

"Dragon fruit and longan, which is also known as 'dragon eye,' are two fruits that are especially popular when it is the year of the dragon." Cornelia stated informatively and rather randomly.

Feeling obligated to say something back, he opted to ask a question that he prayed did not require a lengthy and long-winded answer. "Which animal was it last year?"

"The rabbit." She looked at him speculatively. "You've never heard of the Great Race?"

He shrugged and bit into his apple, the only fruit he deemed was safe to eat. (He wasn't about to eat a round thing that resembled a bloody dragon eye!) And Merlin knew that he could really use some peace!

"It's the race that determined the sequence of the Chinese zodiac and hence, the order of the animals in the Chinese Lunar calendar!" Weird blushing girl exclaimed in a voice that was, once again, loud enough to attract unwanted attention.

He had no clue what had just spewed from her mouth. Zodiac? Lunar calendar? She gaped at him. "You've really never heard of the Great Race?"

_Shove off, you nosy annoying chit!_

"Oh, the Great Race!" Grandma Chang interjected excitedly. "Now that's a story to tell!"

_Sod off, you nosy old hag!_

"Is it story time?" Augustus bounced up and down in his seat.

_Bugger off, you nosy little rascal!_

"How about it, children of all ages? Should I tell a story?" She grinned broadly.

With a broody expression on, Draco leaned back in his seat and took a frustrated bite of his apple, scanning the indifferent faces around him. It seemed like only her great-grandchildren were eager to hear a story. Honestly though, what did she expect? She could call them "children of all ages," but most of them were no longer children.

"Yes! Story!" Augustus cheered through a mouth full of melon as he hopped out of his chair and ran towards his great-grandmother, intending to climb onto her lap. However, he unexpectedly changed his mind and backtracked his steps, launching himself at a certain blond who was beyond horrified. Said blond didn't even bother trying to hide his disgust.

This kid had nearly made him drop his perfectly delicious half-eaten apple! _That's strike two, you cheeky bugger. _Draco glowered down at the little boy who was comfortably sitting on his lap and sanguinely grinning from ear to ear. He was seriously tempted to just drop the nice act and show the kid who's boss…but to have all of his hard work erased just because of someone so small and insignificant? The Changs really knew how to rile him up.

"Augustus!" Iris scolded from where she was seated. "I'm terribly sorry, Draco—"

"I wanna be just like you when I grow up!" Augustus announced, still beaming.

Draco blinked. _Well what do you know? This cheeky bugger might not be so bad after all! There may be some hope for the Changs! _He felt a smirk tugging at his lips. _But tough luck, kid. There's only enough room for one Draco Malfoy in both the wizarding _and_ Muggle world._

"That's one incredible dream, kid." He could have sworn someone close by (possibly from across the table) snorted at those words. (Three guesses who!)

"I'm not a kid!" Augustus protested indignantly. "I'm a man, just like you!"

There were a few laughs, and Draco found himself cracking a smile. At a little bugger. Imagine that!

"Alright, little man." He ruffled the kid's unruly hair with his free hand before he could stop himself. This was further proof that his sanity really was a lost cause.

Augustus grinned up at him again before swiveling to look at his great-grandmother, who looked disturbingly amused in Draco's opinion. "Okay, great-granny, story please!" He spoke for the rest of the children, who had all hopped out of their seats to sit with the adults.

"Come to mummy, April!" Iris opened her arms for her daughter, who was pouting as she stared enviously at her brother. "What's the matter, dear?"

Instead of answering to her mother, April shifted her eyes to Hermione and a look of eager determination crossed her face. The little girl approached the war heroine as quickly as her short legs could carry her. "Can I sit on your lap?"

Her mother gaped and turned to her husband. "Our children don't want us anymore, Shane!" She sounded almost distraught.

"Stop being such a drama queen, Iris." Shane rolled his eyes as he plucked the orange his wife had just finished peeling out of her hands and proceeded to consume it. She was definitely distraught now.

Hermione looked at the little girl in surprise before smiling and reaching down to pick her up. "Of course you can!"

Draco silently watched this exchange, involuntarily thinking once again that the brunette witch really would make a great mother. His thoughts were only disturbed when the little girl-bugger blew a raspberry in his direction.

No one blew raspberries at Draco Malfoy and got away with it!

He realized a second later that the offensive gesture had been directed towards the bugger in his lap, and he almost felt foolish.

"Alright, children, it's story time!"

_Lovely._

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><p>"And that's how the Chinese Zodiac came to be." Grandma Chang concluded with an exuberant smile that Draco believed would never cease to creep him out.<p>

"Hooray!" Augustus clapped his hands together and swiveled around to beam at the blond. "Isn't great-granny the bestest story-teller in the whole wide world?"

"It's 'best,' Augustus, not 'bestest.'" His father corrected.

"Oh, okay. Isn't great-granny the best story-teller in the whole wide world?" The boy asked again.

"To be frank," Draco started and all eyes turned to him, "it doesn't make any sense to me."

"It's called a myth, Malfoy." Hermione was quick to point out.

"Yes, I know that, Granger." He rolled his eyes. "But it's still a bit too farfetched. I mean, a tiny _rat_ came in first place—ahead of eleven other animals that clearly had significant advantages in both size and speed!"

"You forget that it's a tiny but _clever_ rat."

"Clever enough to outsmart an ox, a tiger, a rabbit, a dragon, a snake, a horse, a sheep, a monkey, a chicken, a dog, _and_ a pig in that order? I highly doubt it. Since we're speaking of myths here, it is common knowledge that dragons can fly, so how is it physically possible that this particular dragon came in fifth place?"

"Malfoy, I really think that you're making this unnecessarily complicated—"

"That's rich—coming from someone who seems to enjoy complicating matters."

Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she held his piercing gaze. (She may have been adjusting because April was heavier than she looked.) "Malfoy, all I'm trying to say is that myths _are_ logically flawed, but that's why makes them myths and not facts."

"And that's why I've never been fond of them. To get back to my point, how many _clever_ _rats _do you know of? Animaguses don't count."

Hermione immediately thought of Peter Pettigrew/Scabbers/Wormtail and shuddered. Her next words tumbled out before she could stop herself. "If you're thinking about the same person I'm thinking about, then we both know that _he_ wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed." This was hardly something to joke about, and yet here she was, attempting to joke about it. What in Merlin's name possessed her to do that?

To her shock, Draco gave a short chuckle and shook his head. "No, he wasn't. He was just an obedient vermin." Then his eyes darkened, and she knew that the topic needed to be changed before either of them said anything more. Now was not the time to relive unpleasant memories. Next to him, Cho was silent—she didn't know who or what they were implying, but she knew enough to deduce that this had something to do with the war.

"Who are you guys referring to?" Cornelia asked in that curious voice of hers.

Merlin, did that girl not have any tact whatsoever?

"So it seems like you were born a monkey, Malfoy." Hermione commented randomly as she looked at him pointedly.

"_What_?" Draco nearly shouted in disbelief.

"1980. Year of the monkey." She smirked victoriously.

"That's blood—uh," he glanced down at the little boy before amending with, "incredibly asinine! The monkey came in ninth place!"

"It is what it is, Malfoy." She was thoroughly enjoying herself. Although he would never admit it, he was definitely flustered at the moment.

"Rubbish. Aren't you a monkey yourself, Granger?"

"I was born in 1979, so unfortunately, no."

"Hold on—you're a year older than me?" This realization was enlightening.

"I'm a year older than most people in our year."

_She's older than me? That's kind of hot…what the hell is wrong with me?_

"Are you two really dating?" Grandma Chang interrupted.

_Shit, I clean forgot that we're supposed to be acting as a couple! Shitshitshitshit._

He watched the Gryffindor nervously swallow. "Yes, we are."

"It hardly seems like it though, and I'm sure everyone here agrees with me."

Hermione's eyes darted to him, and he understood what she was trying to tacitly tell him. Her message was exactly what was on his mind.

_She's onto us._

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><p><strong>So if anyone is interested in knowing all the details of the Great Race, by all means look it up! :) I hope this chapter was okay... ~Claudi Skies<strong>


	10. Ten Idioms

**I don't even know what to say...it's been way too long, and I apologize profusely for the wait! I was caught up in all of the graduation festivities for a while and then when summer came along, I was on vacation, and to be honest, I didn't have any motivation to write for a while. But, now I'm back! I hope to finish this story before I'm off to university at the end of this month, but we'll see. As long as this is finished before the year of the snake comes around, right? ;)**

**I've missed you guys! I hope that most of you are still around to stick with me. :)**

**Disclaimer: Only the Changs, excluding Cho.**

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><p>"What makes you say that?" Draco drawled in a deceptively calm voice.<p>

"Well," Grandma Chang started as she smiled sweetly, "it doesn't seem like you know much about your own _girlfriend_, child."

His jaw clenched. "I went to school with her, so I'm perfectly aware of what she's like." It was an evasive answer, and he knew it.

"Oh no, dear, it seems to me you weren't even aware of her birthday." The old woman shook her head and looked at him with something akin to pity.

He didn't like that at all. Malfoys weren't pitied, and they didn't pity either. (They had nothing whatsoever to do with that word.)

"Even I knew that Hermione was born in 1979." The dark-haired bloke next to Draco's "girlfriend" ventured to say when he shouldn't have said anything at all. Those words only added to Draco's silent fury.

The blond suddenly knew why the talkative wanker annoyed him so much. His black hair and green eyes made him an uncanny replica of Potter. _The world doesn't need another one, thank you very much!_

As if sensing his inner turmoil, Hermione spoke up. "That's my fault—I never told him my birthday. If any of you know me _well_ _enough_, you'd know that I'm not one to announce the date of my birth to others, not even the people I care about. I don't like to make anyone feel obligated to buy me presents." Her voice rang true and clear.

Draco almost snorted. That definitely sounded like something she would do.

"Oh." Grandma Chang frowned, clearly unsatisfied with the Gryffindor's credible answer. "Then what about the fact that you two use surnames to address one another? Friends don't do that, let alone lovers." The air of confidence around her was back.

He actually snorted at this. "I've always called her 'Granger.' She'll always be 'Granger' to me."

Hermione nodded tersely. "The two of us have already established that in our relationship. He's 'Malfoy' to me, and I'm 'Granger' to him. Not to be rude, but I do believe that this isn't your business."

The old lady smiled grimly. "Of course not, dear. I was merely curious, and I didn't mean any offense." _Of course you didn't._ "Now enough of that, why don't we play a game?" Grandma Chang proposed enthusiastically, her eyes darting from one face to another.

The unlikely pair looked at one another, and both could see the evident relief they felt mirrored in the other's eyes. However, both of them knew that this was far from being over.

"Game!" Augustus broke the tense silence. Bless that little bugger! Draco awarded him with a light pat on the back.

"Yes, the Idiom Game! This year, it's four-character idioms with the word dragon!" The eldest member of the Chang family grinned. "lónɡ mǎ jīnɡ shén—I hope that all of us will continue to be full of spirit and vigor this year. I know that I will!" She grinned and everyone laughed save Hermione, who was too busy trying to decipher Grandma Chang's character, and Draco, who was cringing like he had just eaten something extremely sour.

Ten minutes and six more idioms later, Grandma Chang looked at her great-grandson. "Would you like to say one, Augustus?"

"I…I don't know any idioms." The little boy was crestfallen.

"Come here, Augustus." His mother beckoned him in a soothing voice.

Augustus pouted, seeming rather put off at having to get off of his role model's lap, but nevertheless did as his mother bade. Stretching his numb legs out under the table, Draco felt content for the first time in this nightmarish evening.

"Wàng zǐ chéng lónɡ, Augustus." His mother smiled affectionately as she picked him up. "I hope that you will become successful in the future, and quite literally, become like a dragon—powerful, strong, and well-loved by all. All Chinese parents wish this for their sons."

More like all parents. Except the well-loved part…Malfoy Rule Number 101: Be feared, not loved.

"That's sexist!" Hermione exclaimed before she could stop herself.

Everyone stared at her, some in mild amusement and others in careful consideration.

Iris laughed. "That's how the Chinese have always been, Hermione—Muggles and wizards alike. This doesn't mean that I agree with such a belief though; I have high hopes for my daughter as well. I value both of my children equally." She looked at her daughter, who was still situated on Hermione's lap. "Come here, April."

The little girl sucked on her thumb as she slid down to the ground and made her way towards her mother, turning once to give Hermione a longing look.

"I'm glad." The Muggle-born witch smiled. "We already have enough discrimination in this world as it is."

Iris nodded solemnly as she balanced the weight of her two children on her lap. "Although, the wizarding world has greatly changed its belief in pureblood superiority since the demise of You-Know-Who…and this is all thanks to you."

"Oh no, not me, don't you mean Harry?" Hermione asked, feeling her cheeks heat up.

Iris laughed before shaking her head. "Everyone knows that you were the brains behind the whole operation. Harry Potter couldn't have prevailed without your help."

"No, I—"

"Granger, just shut up and move on with your life. Accept the fact that you've done more than Potter to change the world." Draco interjected with an impatient roll of his eyes.

Hermione gawked at him, at a loss for words. Cho gave him a meaningful glance.

Iris hesitated before saying, "I know that you were discriminated because of your blood status, Hermione, but I just want you to know that no one here ever thought lowly of you."

Draco shifted in his seat and averted his eyes. That wasn't entirely true…here comes the guilt. Thank Merlin Granger was too preoccupied at the moment to notice.

"You're a remarkable young woman, and I can see why you easily became my April's role model." The mother of the twins declared. "And you, Draco…" The Slytherin glanced at her in surprise.

"I can see why my Augustus looks up to you. You're a brave young man with so much potential...I know that we can expect great things from you." Iris said resolutely with a mysterious twinkle in her eyes.

To say that he was speechless would be an understatement. Him? Brave? Potential? Great things? She was describing someone like Potter, not him. Never him. But her words really struck a nerve. He felt almost…hopeful.

Was it a crime to have hope?

Iris looked at the eldest Chang, who was openly observing Hermione with her ever discerning eyes. "Mum, can we get refills? I'd like to make a toast."

Grandma Chang reluctantly tore her gaze away from the young woman to smile at her daughter. "Of course dear." With a wave of her wand, the glasses were filled to the brim.

Iris raised her glass, smiling at all of the faces around her. "To another year of peace and prosperity!"

There was a chorus of agreement, and everyone drank to another year without having to constantly live in fear of a certain dark wizard.

Draco set down his empty glass and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Suppressing a yawn, he glanced at the clock hanging on the wall opposite of him. Nine o'clock. Just how long was this going to last? By now, his mother was most likely worrying. He frowned. Perhaps she should be worrying—he was completely out of his mind. Because of the Changs. And Granger. He should probably send a Patronus telling his mother to take him immediately to St. Mungo's if he somehow managed to get out of this…relatively unscathed.

"Ah," Hermione suddenly said as she set down her glass, catching everyone's attention. "I've got one!"

Grandma Chang arched an inquisitive eyebrow. "Pray tell, dear child…"

"Wò hǔ cáng lónɡ!" She beamed victoriously, a faint pink dusting her cheeks. Draco smirked in amusement. So Granger couldn't hold her liquor.

"Oh, that's a good one, Hermione!" Cho gushed enthusiastically. "Crouching tiger, hidden dragon!"

Hermione nodded. "Isn't it? I remember reading about it somewhere…although the meaning of it is escaping me right now." She muttered the last bit in a daze. Draco snorted. The liquor must be affecting her ability to think clearly, but she only had as much wine as everyone else had; she really was a light-weight.

"Oh Draco, my boy, why don't you grace us with an idiom as well?" Grandma Chang suggested, flashing him her creepy smile.

Why the hell did she have to include him in everything? He didn't even want anything to do with this, but alas, this was just not his day.

Sighing in annoyance, he wracked his brain for something that would divert all the attention he was receiving at the moment away. With a careless shrug, he offered the first thing that came to mind. "_Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus_."

Cho, along with all of people who had graduated from or were currently attending Hogwarts, burst into laughter. "Never—tickle—a—sleeping—dragon!" She managed to choke out between giggles.

Draco shot her a glare and snapped defensively, "No one said that it had to be Chinese."

Grandma Chang was as amused as always. "Very clever, dear boy." He didn't like the expression she was wearing; it was like she knew something that he didn't.

Hermione stopped mid-giggle, giving Draco a reproachful look. "You are so full of yourself, Malfoy."

Intrigued, he leaned forward in his seat with his chin resting on his palm. "What makes you say that, Granger?"

"Well, you just had to say something with your given name in it, didn't you?" She accused in her know-it-all voice. "Hah! I absolutely loathe to be the one to tell you this, but you're nothing like your name suggests you are."

He gave her a tight smile, willing his temper to not rise. "Oh really? I think that you've had just a bit too much to drink, Granger."

"No, I haven't!" She insisted, twirling a loose strand of hair around her finger.

"Yes, you have, _honey_." He gritted his teeth, flashing her a warning look.

But she was too indignant to comprehend it. "I thought I told you not to call me—"

Draco bolted up from his seat, made his way around the table, and grabbed Hermione by the wrist. Ignoring her protests, he yanked her up from her seat. Casting a swift look at the surprised and curious faces around the table, he gave an apologetic half-smile. "Please excuse us for a few minutes. My…girlfriend…isn't feeling good right now. Where is the bathroom?"

After getting directions from a smiling Grandma Chang, Draco dragged Hermione up the stairs and into the bathroom, locking the door behind them and murmuring a quick wandless _Muffliato_. He glared down at the confused girl who was sitting on the closed toilet lid.

"You nearly blew our cover."

"Malfoy, I told you to not give me any pet names. I don't want to hear words of endearment from you." She glared up at him, although in her current state, the glare wasn't as effective.

With a ragged sigh, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"But for some odd reason, my heart seems to like it…" she mused distractedly. "It speeds up, you see."

His eyes snapped open. Stunned into silence, he could only gape at her. Was this really happening?

"I don't like it when it speeds up though. It's not normal." She huffed. "And I don't like abnormality."

He let out a chuckle at that. It was good to know that she was still very much herself even when tipsy…although, she was saying some rather unsettling things. As he continued to stare at her, he couldn't help but notice that the color on her cheeks gave her a pretty glow. And periwinkle really was quite nice against her skin.

"My head feels weird." She sluggishly reached up and took out all of the pins holding her hair up in a bun.

He could only watch in strange fascination.

Hermione shook out her curly locks once they were free and released a satisfied sigh before her frown reappeared. "It didn't go away." She sounded very much like a lost child…and he thought that it was almost endearing. Merlin!

Draco took a shaky breath. He had a sudden inexplicable but inexcusable urge to run his fingers through her hair. Vigorously shaking his head, he collected his wits. He needed to be very wary of a drunken Granger in the future.

"Brightest witch of our age, my arse." He grumbled, drawing out his wand from the inside of his left sleeve.

Hermione was immediately on guard—or at least as on guard a tipsy witch was. "What do you think you're doing, Malfoy?" Her words were a bit slurred.

His breath caught when she struggled to hike up the hem of her qí páo to grab her wand, which was strapped to her inner left thigh. He quickly looked away and cleared his throat, involuntarily turning a light pink. He really did not need his lost mind to be in the gutter right now.

"I always keep my wand with me," she told him smugly, brandishing her wand like it was a trophy. "I'm ready when you are."

"Really, Granger? You can't even properly point your wand at me without wavering." Draco rolled his eyes, thankful for a distraction. "Now would you hold still? I'm going to cast a spell that will make you sober, and I need your cooperation."

"Are you insinuating that I'm drunk?" She angrily jabbed his chest with the point of her wand.

"I _know_ that you're drunk." He placed a firm hand on her shoulder, and was disturbed at just how aware he was of her presence. "And we still have a situation downstairs, so do shut up and stop squirming because you're clearly not in the right mind to be able to fix yourself."

Hermione silently fumed. Even in a confused haze, she knew that he was right. But this was the second time he had told her to shut up. He would pay for this.

"I never signed up to become Granger's babysitter…" Draco mumbled to himself as he nonverbally cast the spell. He watched her blink a few times before drawling, "Are you lucid now?"

She blinked up at him. "You can do wandless and nonverbal magic." It wasn't a question—it was a demand for an answer.

"Can't everyone these days?" He gruffly slid his wand back into hiding.

"No. I was positive that Harry and I were the only ones in our year who even managed to do some wandless and nonverbal magic."

"Well, you're wrong then." It was immensely satisfying to be able to finally say those words to her. Knowing Granger, she probably wanted to ask him questions, but he wasn't in the mood to answer any of them. He turned away from her to open the door.

"I guess so…" she slowly conceded, blinking a few more times before standing up.

Draco pushed the door open just as Hermione let out a sudden squeak and pitched forward, grabbing onto him before she could hit the ground. He stared at the arms encircling his waist in shock. What just happened here? He looked up. _Oh shit._

Blushing profusely, Hermione ducked her head. "Sorry, I lost my balance, and you were just conveniently there, so—"

"Well, aren't you two adorable!" The Ravenclaw exclaimed. Neither of them missed the underlying sarcasm.

Draco pulled Hermione to his side so that he could put an arm around her while her arms were still gripping onto him. This was the second time he had ever been this close to her in proximity (the first time being the embrace to dispel any suspicions Grandma Chang may have had before dinner), but this was his first time noticing that she was indeed a petite witch; he was a whole head taller than her. He found that he rather liked having her in his embrace. Other than it feeling natural, she was warm.

Draco cleared his throat. "We were just about to head downstairs."

Cho smiled. "Yes, well we're cleaning up downstairs. I was hoping that I could talk to Hermione."

He felt the witch tense ever so slightly. "Right, go ahead then. We're listening."

"Alone." Cho tilted her head to the side, her smile widening.

Hermione's arms around him tightened for a second before they dropped back down to her sides. She looked up at him, her eyes burning with their usual determination. "Why don't you go help clean up?"

_Me? Clean up? Are you still drunk?_

His lips curled into a sneer, and he voiced his thoughts.

But she just continued to grin. "Don't worry, _dear_, I'll be downstairs with you soon; you won't even have enough time to miss me!" Hermione reassured cheekily. Before he could say anything in retaliation, she bounced up on her tip-toes and planted a noisy kiss on his cheek.

He couldn't keep his jaw from dropping open. Nor could he keep his hand from reaching up to touch the red lip-stick imprint that he knew was there. And did she just refer to him as "dear"?

She looked at him expectantly, nodding towards the staircase. He had clearly just been kissed and dismissed.

Trying to pull himself together, Draco took a few unsteady steps before halting and glancing at Hermione over his shoulder, his initial shock still visible on his face. "If you uh, need me or something, you know where to, uh, find me." He said lamely.

Hermione giggled like a girl in love. If he hadn't been the one to perform the sobering spell on her, he would've been sure that she was still drunk.

More amused than she probably should be, Hermione watched his retreating figure blindly go down the stairs, laughing when she heard him uncharacteristically bump into the wall and loudly curse. _Perhaps I should mess with him more often. _His reaction had been priceless!

Ignoring her unusually fast heartbeat, she directed her attention towards the observer, who was staring at her with an unfathomable expression.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Cho?" Hermione asked, confused as to what the girl before her could possibly want from her but mentally preparing herself all the same. It was time to accomplish what she was here for.

Cho's demeanor abruptly changed, and a pleasant smile was once again on her face. She indicated towards the door that lead to the room where she kept all of her qí páos. "Shall we?"

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><p><strong>Spoilers for the next chapter: A confrontation, the meaning of the idiom "crouching tiger, hidden dragon," and ice cream!<strong>

**Now for a question. Who do you want Cho to end up with, if she does end up with someone? We all know that this is a Dramione, but I'm open to including other pairings that you guys suggest! ~Claudi Skies**


	11. Eleven Scoops of Ice Cream

**It's good to be back. :) I had too much fun writing this chapter haha, so I hope you guys have fun reading it! This is a lot longer than the previous chapters. Like 1,500 words longer. Warning: Drama and an excessive amount of fluff! **

**twilight expertess: Thank you! Yes, I am definitely considering pairing up Blaise with someone...perhaps Ginny, as I do love the two of them together, but trying to write Blaise/Luna would be interesting. We shall see!**

**ThePrimusLune: It is so so so good to hear from you again! I've missed your enthusiasm! Here is a chocolate frog. ;)**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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><p>Draco ogled the pile of dirty dishes in the sink that were waiting to be washed in distaste. Was he really going to do this? Was he really going to get his hands all <em>wet<em> and _soapy_ for something a Malfoy should never be seen doing?

Well, there was a first time for everything…Merlin was he becoming a bloody sap from all this acting nice business!

With a groan, he began to roll up his sleeves with the pristine carefulness only a neat freak would possess, placing his wand on the counter for the time being.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders, mentally preparing himself for this oh-so-terrible task before him. Now that he had tuned out the animated chatter floating in from the other room, he was suddenly very aware of his heartbeat. He quickly brought a hand up to verify—indeed, it was acting up. How odd.

Frowning, he opened his eyes…and found himself looking at the dishes. Right.

_Damn Granger_—his heart skipped a beat—_and her bloody ideas! _Before he could analyze what the weird thing his racing heart had just did was, the person on his current most dreaded list came bustling into the kitchen.

"Oh, dear boy! What are you doing here?" Grandma Chang asked in surprise.

Draco glared daggers at the dishes that had yet to be touched. _What does it look like, old hag?_ "Helping out." That was the hardest thing he'd ever had to say out loud. But of course, it was a complete lie.

She boldly approached him from behind and peeked around his body to peer at the dishes. "But you haven't washed a single one of them yet, my boy!"

As if he didn't know that! It was a good thing she couldn't see his face from where she was standing; the expression he was wearing at the moment was out for blood. Preferably hers.

"Yes, well," he strained to keep the venom out of his voice, "I was just about to get to it." Pressing his lips together to keep himself from crying out in disgust, Draco reached for a dish.

"You're not actually going to hand wash them, are you, Draco dear?" The amusement in her voice nearly made him snap.

He wisely chose to remain silent; he wasn't about to risk lashing out at her when he didn't know what the consequences would be. _Be calm. Remember all of your hard work._

Grandma Chang took the dish from him with a laugh and gently pushed him aside. "Did you forget that you're a wizard?" She waved her wand over the sink, which then began to magically rinse and soak the plates and utensils. "There's no need to waste your time and effort on such trivial things!"

Draco was thoroughly embarrassed. And furious. How had that manage to slip his mind? Magic was the bloody solution to everything! He really was a huge mess of insanity.

"And besides, you're a guest, dear! Please go back to the dining room and enjoy yourself." She turned to face him, smiling widely. Something on his face caused her smile to falter. "What is that on your cheek?"

His hand instinctively flew up to touch the red stain. _What does it look like?_

"Was it from Cho?" She was suddenly giddy again.

_Why the bloody hell would it be from her?_

At his broody silence, Grandma Chang sighed and pointed her wand at his cheek. "_Scourgify_."

Draco was appalled to find that he felt almost disappointed that it was gone. He stalked out of the kitchen without a word, too bothered to even say a thank you. _Bloody old bint! Bloody Granger!_ His heart did a strange pit-a-pat. He shook his head. Perhaps he was coming down with something.

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><p>"What?" Perplexed for the first time in ages, Hermione stared at the girl before her, unsure if she had heard her correctly.<p>

"Don't give me that look." Cho frowned. "You heard what I said."

"But you can't be serious." The Gryffindor nervously fiddled with a strand of hair. What Cho was asking of her was…too much. "I—I just can't."

The Ravenclaw looked stricken, and Hermione felt her resolve waver. But this was an extremely sensitive topic that she couldn't possibly even start to talk about.

She cautiously reached out and put a comforting hand on the shaking girl's shoulder. "Look, Cho…this isn't something that I can just tell you. I wasn't there when it happened, and I don't think I even know the full story."

The tears streaked down Cho's face. "C-can't you just tell me what you know?"

Hermione shook her head sadly, her grip on Cho's shoulder tightening. "I'm sorry, but I don't think that I have the right to tell you. I know that it's difficult, but please try to understand—I made a promise to Harry to never bring this up again." She felt tears prickling in her eyes.

"B-but…" Cho doubled over, painfully clutching at her heart. "I need to know! Don't you understand, Hermione? I can't move on with my life like this!"

Hermione certainly felt like the bad guy for denying this girl the closure she so desired. But she couldn't. This closure wasn't hers to give. Swallowing thickly, she pulled the poor emotionally wrecked girl into a hug. Cho sobbed into Hermione's shoulder, soaking the silk periwinkle dress with uncontrollable tears.

All Hermione could offer her was comfort. She knew how much it hurt to lose a loved one. They had all lost precious people in the war. The excruciating pain, the sorrow, the anguish. She knew.

Cho was suddenly quiet. Hermione pulled back to look at her, concerned.

"If you don't tell me, then I'll go ask Harry myself."

Hermione was stunned. Was she threatening her? "Harry won't have the heart to tell you." It was the truth. She knew Harry too well.

Cho stood up straight, a determined glint in her eyes. "We'll see about that." She turned around and yanked open the door.

Hermione wandlessly closed the door shut and waited for the girl to angrily round on her before saying, "You'll only hurt him by asking him this. And you know that it wouldn't be right to resort to force, Cho."

Uncertainty momentarily flickered in her eyes before Cho hardened her expression. "Don't get in my way, Hermione."

To hell with sympathy! The brunette wanted so badly to hex this infuriating witch. But of course, that wouldn't be practical. (Although it would make her feel a whole lot better.) "Sorry, but it looks like you'll have to either give up or find a way around me because I'm not moving."

"Why are you being so unreasonable?" Cho cried out in exasperation.

"I won't let you do this to Harry. He doesn't need any of this right now—don't you understand? Even though it's been almost two years since the end of the war, even though all the physical damage has healed, the memories are still fresh. He doesn't need you to rub salt to his wounds, and we all know that his wounds are the greatest." Hermione snapped passionately.

Cho was silent as she considered her words. Her eyes flashed as she fixed the brunette with a cold stare. "He still fancies you, doesn't he?"

Hermione was dumbfounded. "What?"

"I knew that he's always fancied you! Back then and even now!" Cho accused. "That's why you don't want me to see him! You want him to continue fancying you and you only! You want him all to yourself!"

This was getting way out of hand. What was wrong with her?

Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose in an effort to remain in control. "Harry is like a _brother_ to me. I don't know why we're discussing this when this isn't even about me."

"Sure, Hermione. Just deny it like you did back then." Cho nastily retorted with a scoff. "He was nicer to you than any other girl, nicer to you than he was to _me_ when we were _dating_!" She bitterly spat. "Why aren't you saying anything? It's because I'm right, aren't I?"

"There's nothing to say because there is no unrequited love!" Hermione shouted. Her head was throbbing. This stupid madness needed to end. Now.

But Cho wasn't going to have it. "I can't believe you! I tried so hard today to get along with you…I even considered putting aside our differences and starting new! But this whole friendly business clearly isn't working."

Hermione's blood was boiling. "You mean fake friendly business. I knew that you were only acting friendly to get something out of me." She retorted. "But alas, you haven't managed to get a single thing; you're leaving this room empty-handed." With a wave, the door swung open.

Cho had just been dismissed from her own grandmother's dressing room.

The dark-haired witch glowered menacingly at the shorter witch. "Just watch—I'll get my answer and something of yours. I want you to feel what I felt. Mark my words, Hermione Granger." Cho turned on her heel and took a few steps out the door before whipping around again, a sardonic smile on her face. "Crouching tiger, hidden dragon, huh? How fitting. Don't underestimate what I am capable of doing. You may be used to having everything go your way as a war heroine and all that, but not anymore. You may have changed the world, but you can't change my mind."

Hermione listened to the Ravenclaw's footsteps fade away. What the hell just happened here?

* * *

><p>"Good night, dears! Thank you for having dinner with us; this Chinese New Year's Eve dinner was much more entertaining and eventful with the two of you with us." Grandma Chang cheerily waved to them from the doorway. "I do hope both of you had as much fun as we did!"<p>

Draco and Hermione smiled weakly, both internally sighing in relief. Merlin were they glad that the night with the Changs was finally over!

"It was nice meeting you, D-Draco." Cornelia shyly shuffled her feet as she walked past him with the rest of her family.

He arched an eyebrow. "Likewise…Cornelia."

The younger girl blushed red. Hermione gave a soft snort that only Draco was close enough to hear. He smirked.

The Aldens were the next to leave. Augustus immediately launched himself at the blond again, nearly causing Draco to topple over. "I hope I get to see you again! Soon!" The little boy grinned up at his role model.

_You do? Well, I don't._ "We'll see." Draco opted to say. He couldn't just deflate the kid's hope. Not to be arrogant or anything, but he literally was the kid's hope. "Perhaps if you're a good boy."

"Okay!" Augustus clapped his hands together in excitement. "I promise!"

Hermione smiled warmly at the little girl who was gazing up at her in wonder. "You're a good girl, April." She ruffled the girl's fringe. "Study hard, work hard, and maybe I'll be hearing about you in the newspapers in the future!"

"Wow, Granger." Draco gave her a disapproving frown. "That's how you encourage kids?"

Hermione sniffed and glanced at him. "That's the kind of encouragement I received throughout my childhood."

He stared at her, shook his head, and said nothing more. _Well, that explains a lot._

"Hermione."

Draco felt his lips curl. Why if it wasn't Potter wannabe.

"Y-yes?"

His lips turned upside down. Granger didn't bloody stutter. He watched her from out of the corner of his eye. He could tell that her face was red even in the darkness, and it made him uneasy. _Why do I care?_ Nothing was making any sense, but he supposed nothing made any sense when you were insane.

He was starting to think that insanity was an excuse for something else…something that he wasn't willing to admit. But that was ridiculous—what could he possibly not be admitting to himself?

But then there really was something about him that was off. Because he felt like tearing something apart as he watched Potter Jr. feather kisses on Hermione's knuckles.

But of course, this was because the sight was absolutely sickening. Didn't the bloke know that chivalry was long dead? And besides, why would you even bother to kiss a girl's knuckles when her lips were available? Lips that were currently parted rather invitingly…

Draco roughly pulled Hermione closer until she was snuggly pressed against his side, all the while staring the startled green-eyed man down.

"What's wrong, Malfoy?" Hermione asked, startled as well.

"Watch it," he warned with a low snarl, "that's my _girlfriend's_ hand you're molesting."

Ah, so Malfoy was the possessive type of boyfriend? This was too funny. Hermione couldn't suppress a giggle from escaping her mouth.

"Really, Zachary!" Iris smacked her younger brother's head non-too-gently. "How could you do that in front of Draco? Not to mention mum, dad, my kids, _and_ grandma! You're such an _idiot_!"

"Hehe, mum called Uncle Zach an idiot!" Augustus whispered loudly to his sister.

"I apologize on my idiotic brother's behalf. He tends to enjoy, ah, showering pretty ladies with excessive...attention." Iris stomped on her brother's foot non-too-lightly. All the spectators winced.

So Potter #2 was a player. Bloody hell, could this night get any weirder?

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Hermione chuckled. "It's quite flattering, to be honest."

_Oh, so you're flattered, are you?_

"But I wouldn't want Malfoy here to be jealous," she continued with a smirk. "Don't worry, _dear_, I'm all yours!"

He felt the familiar sensation of her lips on his cheek. Dear Merlin, now she had kissed both cheeks. Draco's throat went dry. _And hold on a second…who's jealous?!_

Hermione leaned back and grabbed his chin, forcing him to turn his face down to her. "Where did my lipstick stain on your other cheek go?" She pouted, but her eyes were laughing at him. He just knew it. _Granger_—his heart stuttered—_how dare you mess with me…!_

He was saved from answering when Cho and her parents stepped out of the shop. Hermione stiffened and released her hold on him.

"Good night, grandma!" The Ravenclaw was saying brightly. "See you tomorrow!"

_Tomorrow?_ He was sure as hell going to stay clear of Diagon Alley then.

Cho's eyes snapped to meet his for a few seconds before they landed on Hermione. Her lips stretched into a forced smile. "Oh, Hermione, please keep the qí páo you're wearing as a gift from me. It suits you well."

What was this girl playing at? "Well then, thank you, Cho. I'll treasure it always."

"That's good to hear. Good night, Hermione. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again very soon."

That sounded ominous. Draco could feel the mounting tension between the two witches. What had happened upstairs?

Hermione reciprocated the smile. "Of course. Until then, Cho." Her eyes gave the remaining Changs one last sweep before she grabbed Draco's hand.

"Let's go, Malfoy."

He stared flabbergasted at their hands. Shaking his head for the millionth time, he hesitantly interlaced their fingers. If insanity always felt like this, then he wouldn't mind. Not one bit.

* * *

><p>"What are we doing here, Granger?" Draco scowled at the wide assortment of colorful ice cream flavors that lay displayed before them.<p>

"I'm in the mood for ice cream." Hermione was concentrated on reading all of the labels. "Lots of it."

"Good for you. This doesn't have anything to do with me, so can I leave? It's ten thirty, and I'm in the mood to bloody go home." He raked a restless hand through his blond locks. Lowering his voice, he muttered, "And that girl keeps on looking at me. It's unnerving."

"Oh no you don't! There are always girls looking at you, Malfoy. You must be blind to not notice." His heart soared. _Bugger me sideways, did she just compliment me?_ He wanted to ask her if she was one of those girls but decided against it. He was too bloody tired for unnecessary spats.

"We have things to discuss and plans to make." She called out to the girl who was older than them by a few years behind the cashier. "Ms. Fortescue, I'd like one scoop of everything, please!"

The baffled daughter of the late Florean Fortescue stared at her. Draco stared at her incredulously.

"Don't give me that look, Malfoy! We have to always be at least one step ahead of the enemy!" Hermione huffed, tucking a stray strand of curly hair behind her ear. Noticing that the girl still hadn't moved yet, she impatiently snapped, "Well? Get to it!"

"It's not that…are you really going to eat all that ice cream?" He almost pitied the poor frightened girl. "Almost" being the operative word.

She fixed him with a vicious glare.

"There are eleven scoops." He tried again. "Eleven."

"What's it to you?" She retorted defensively. Hermione sure was more temperamental and uptight than usual.

"So you eat when you're angry." Draco stated purposely, carefully gauging her reaction. "Interesting."

"Shut up, Malfoy." His eyes narrowed. So she wasn't in the mood for fun and games…what in Merlin's name happened between her and Cho Chang?

He asked her exactly that as soon as they were seated across from each other, glancing around to make sure that they were alone. The girl had scampered into the back room and shut the door behind her as soon as Hermione had thrown down the money. Why was this ice cream parlor open so late anyways? No one in his or her right mind stopped by to eat ice cream an hour before midnight.

Hermione took a few angry bites of her second scoop. At this rate, she really was going to finish all eleven scoops. Disturbing. He would have never guessed that she had quite the sweet tooth. _Because Granger_—badump—_isn't sweet_.

"She threatened me! Can you believe it? That girl had the gall to threaten _me_!" Hermione all but growled, "I _hate_ being threatened!"

"Calm the hell down, Granger." He was once again acutely aware of his heartbeat. "Why did she threaten you?"

He didn't hide his grimace as she shoved a few more chunks of ice cream into her mouth. She jumped right into her story then, telling him everything in great detail—even mentioning the little bits of information that he did not care for. Like venting how Cho Chang drenched her shoulder with noisy tears. Not a pretty picture.

By the time she was finished, her anger had dissipated, and she was out of breath and through with nine scoops of ice cream. It was a good thing the ice cream was charmed with freezing spells that kept it from melting.

"So what are you planning to do now?" Draco ventured to ask, trying very hard to ignore the irritating munching from across the table.

"You mean _we_." Hermione corrected, waving her spoon at him.

"Last time I checked, my problem was with the old hag, not the emotionally unstable chit with a vengeance." He said dryly.

"You're forgetting that we're like…a package deal, if you will." She sighed with an eye roll. "It's absurd, I know. But we're in this_ together_. You said so yourself."

"I can change my mind." He folded his arms stubbornly.

"Real mature, Malfoy…dumping all of your problems on me while you run off somewhere to hide." Hermione snarked. "Don't forget that _you're_ the one who dragged me into this mess. I'm not cleaning up after you."

"_You're_ the one with a problem to solve right now. I know that Old Chang means to somehow set me up with the Ravenclaw, but I'm safe as long as we remain as a 'couple.' So _I_ am problem _free_." He smirked and leaned back in his seat.

"I can just break up with you." Hermione shrugged, chowing down her tenth scoop of ice cream.

"W-what?" Draco spluttered, nearly falling out of his seat.

"Don't sound so surprised." She frowned down at her last scoop. "Excuse me, Ms. Fortescue! I'd like to have a waffle cone to go with this scoop!"

The poor girl stumbled out from the back room, tripping over her own feet as she rushed to do as the demanding Gryffindor asked.

"Thank you! You're so kind." Hermione gave her a genuine smile as she transferred the ice cream from the cup to the cone. "I've always loved coming here; your father's parlor makes the best ice cream in all of wizarding Britain, and I know that many people would agree. I'm so glad that you reopened the shop in his stead after the end of the war. It's very admirable of you."

Florentia Fortescue flushed with pleasure. "Thank you for such high praise. I'm honored to be able to serve you, Ms. Granger."

"Oh really?" Hermione's face lit up. "Then could I possibly have another scoop of this flavor? I'll pay for it, of course."

"Oh no, that's okay. This scoop is on the house." The girl grinned and went behind the counter.

Draco snorted in disbelief. "You really are something, Granger."

Hermione shrugged, delighted enough to let his sarcasm slip by just this once. She eagerly thanked the girl again when her ice cream cone was brought over. Draco waited until Florentia disappeared into the back room once again to speak.

"Anyways, back to business." He cleared his throat and gave her a piercing stare. "You can't break up with me."

"I don't see what's stopping me from breaking up with you." She smirked evilly as a sudden epiphany hit her. "If you don't follow through with your words, then we're over."

He blinked. Was she blackmailing him?

"You have more Slytherin qualities than a Gryffindor should possess." Draco shook his head, secretly in awe.

"You're not seriously insinuating that I should've been in Slytherin, right? Because I don't believe you." Hermione suspiciously peered at him over her ice cream cone.

He was quiet for a moment before his eyes found hers. "I don't believe in any of the blood superiority shit anymore, Granger."

The sincerity in his voice made her puzzled. _Has he really changed?_ "Well, in any case," she said, deciding to leave it be for now, "just know that you still don't have my trust yet."

"And you don't have mine." He agreed easily. Looking deep into her eyes and taking a leap of faith, he added, "But I think that I could trust you in time."

She was balking at him—not exactly the reaction he had hoped for. It obviously wasn't the right time to be talking about this. Completely mortified, he squeezed his eyes shut. "Look, Granger, just forget what—"

"Now wait just a second!" Hermione waved her hands, shaking her ice cream cone and sending small chunks of ice cream flying. "I haven't even said anything yet!"

Draco's eyes flew open. There was something wet on his face, and this time, it wasn't Granger's lips. His voice was deceptively even.

"Granger. You got your bloody ice cream on my face."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to! You just surprised me! Here, let me—" Biting her lip, Hermione fumbled for her wand. Just as she was fishing it out from underneath her silk dress, Draco gave a noncommittal grunt in surprise.

Curious, she looked over at him.

"Chocolate." He commented, licking his lips.

"Yes, it's chocolate…?" She prodded.

"It tastes_ exactly_ like chocolate." He marveled, blinking rapidly.

Hermione briefly wondered if he was sane. (Oh, if she only knew…) "That's because it's _chocolate flavored_ ice cream…?"

"Ah, so it is…" He nodded slowly in understanding. "It's surprisingly good."

"Don't tell me, Malfoy…you've never had ice cream before?" She nearly screeched.

"Can't say that I have." He shrugged. "So there really is a first time for everything."

"Good Godric, Malfoy! You poor deprived child! What have you been doing with your life? Ice cream is_ the_ heaven on earth!" She exclaimed in disbelief. "You know what? You're going to eat some right now. Wait here." She made to get up when Draco stopped her with a raised hand.

"Stop getting so worked up, Granger." He smirked in amusement. "And I'm far from being _poor_ or _deprived_."

"But you _need_ to at least experience the satisfaction of eating a perfect ice cream cone once!" Hermione insisted heatedly. "And now is as good of a time as any."

He gave a small chuckle and leaned across the table until their faces were mere inches apart, his smoldering gray eyes staring straight into her soul. She felt herself blush and looked away in embarrassment. How could she be so affected by him? _It's _Malfoy_, for crying out loud! _What in Merlin's name was he doing?

_He…he's not going to kiss me, right? _She was frantic to do something, anything, that would stop him from advancing towards her, but at the same time, she found herself wondering whether kissing him would really be all that bad. He was bloody attractive and clever, and he had been quite agreeable and even _likeable_ today. Well, for the most part.

After spending hours with him as her only "ally," she could safely say that he could be tolerable. Something had definitely changed between them, and she wasn't sure if she liked it.

Her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes fluttered. Was this really about to happen? His mouth was just centimeters away from hers. She gulped. Did she really want this?

Her body answered for her.

Just as she tentatively brushed her lips against his, he ducked his head, and she screamed in outrage. The sneaky little smirking ferret had stolen a lick of her heavenly dessert!

Florentia bolted out to see what all of the commotion was about, only to be waved away by both of them. Slightly sulking, she went back inside the room.

"Y-you! How dare you!" Hermione was positively livid. She was going to give him hell for eating her ice cream. Harry and Ron had felt her wrath every single time for trying anything smart on her.

"Finish what you started." Draco murmured, wrapping his fingers around the hand that was gripping the ice cream cone.

His touch was electrifying, and she was sure that he felt it too.

"Technically, you're the one who started it." She was quick to point out.

"You're killing the mood." He groaned before taking matters into his own hands.

He leaned in and captured her lips. The lips that had been the object of his desires for the entire day. He deepened the kiss, tasting the sweet flavor of chocolate in her mouth. She was very willing to do as he wished, kissing him back with a passion that neither of them knew existed.

Hermione wondered what the two of them looked like, old enemies making out over a table in an ice cream parlor. Yesterday, it would have been unbelievable, but today, it was real. If it was real, then it had to be believable. Or perhaps this was a lapse in judgment, and she was just out of her mind. Either way, this was a bloody fantastic kiss that she wasn't going to regret.

Her eyes were still closed when he pulled away.

"I win." He said breathlessly.

She opened her eyes in bewilderment, only to find him smirking devilishly at her with his bruised lips. Her mouth dropped open in astonishment.

Making himself comfortable in his seat, Draco leisurely took another lick of Hermione's ice cream cone, which was now in his hand. _So Granger is sweet after all._

* * *

><p><strong>Haha goodness...I hope that wasn't too fluffy for you guys. Was the kiss unexpected? I definitely wasn't expecting to write one already, but hey, I guess my fingers just wanted them to act on their supposed "insanity." Don't worry, this doesn't mean that they're officially together...I have so much more humorous drama planned for them. Oh, I hope you guys got a good kick out of the name I decided to give Florean Fortescue's made up daughter. Florean and Florentia. Haha.<strong>

**Alright, I think it's about time to bring Blaise back into the story. Expect some stuff about him and definitely more drama in the next chapter! ~Claudi Skies**


	12. Twelve Roses

**Well, here it is. :) Sorry for the long wait! As promised, I've brought Blaise back and he'll be around for the rest of the story...but he's not the only one!**

**terfle: Thank you! You're so kind. :D**

**MySweetSolace: They'll be together soon enough! Haha yes, after the tension is resolved!**

**Your-Arrow-Girl: I'm glad you liked the kiss...cause I loved writing it! ;)**

**ThePrimusLune: As always, you're awesome! And I love that little pun of yours..."cho cute" haha.**

**sapphire-lights: POOF. Another chapter has magically appeared!**

**melanic-mother: Thank you! Your words mean a lot to me. :)**

**I hope you guys enjoy! Thanks to everyone who favorited and story alerted!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday, February 5, 2000<strong>

"Welcome to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes—ah, Hermione! It's good to see you! Now, would you like to try our newest WonderWitch product?"

"Hello George, I see that you still waste no time in advertising." Hermione greeted with a laugh. "Your business is flourishing as always." She gestured towards the back of the shop where there was a long line to check-out. "It's only ten minutes past nine."

"Yes, well what can I say?" George gave her a lopsided smile. "Business is especially good on Saturdays. And even though I hate to admit it—lots of people come here because of my younger brother. Can you believe it? Because I can't."

Oh, she could believe it. She knew what it was like.

"I mean, he may be 'Harry Potter's best friend' and one of the main 'saviors of the wizarding world,' but he's still _Ron_." He made a face. "You'd think that his so-called 'popularity' would have subsided by now. It's been more than a year since we reopened—now, how about the product?"

"No thank you." She grimaced. "I'd rather not."

"Always the party pooper, Hermione." George teased with a small shake of his head. "I'm going to find someone willing to test it out then. Oh, Ron is manning the cash register right now." He jabbed his thumb behind him before rushing to greet the group of young witches that had just stepped into the shop.

Hermione made her way to the back of the joke shop, pushing past excited customers and marveling at just how successful Ron and George were able to become.

The Weasley family had been hit hard with Fred's death, especially George; the twin that was left behind fell deep into a depression that nearly took his own life, had it not been for Ron. It was Ron who encouraged him to keep Fred's legacy alive with the joke shop—living the life that Fred would have wanted. And thus, after a speedy recovery full of purpose and motivation, George reopened Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes in late 1998 with the help of Ron, who decided to work full-time with his brother. At first, business had been poor as most of the wizarding world was still recovering from post-war trauma, but with patience and persistence, the two Weasleys managed to attract public attention again and soon enough, it began to feel like the good old Hogwarts days.

Today, George and Fred's joke shop was practically a must-visit spot for tourists in Diagon Alley. Hermione was immensely proud of them; just thinking about it now brought tears to her eyes.

"Hermione! I thought that you'd never show up!" Ron exclaimed, giving her a smile before turning back to the customer. "That would be 2 Galleons, sir."

"I meant to visit yesterday, but something…came up." She couldn't tell Ron about yesterday. Not until she thought about how to gently break it to him…but that was just wishful thinking. Anything involving Malfoy made him explode and act like he'd gone off his rocker.

"Blimey, I think that you need to stop being such a workaholic." Ron advised with a concerned expression. "It can't be healthy."

"I had the day off yesterday, remember?" Hermione said, a bit defensively. "And I'm _not_ a workaholic—I just enjoy my job. What's wrong with that, Ronald?"

"Nothing!" Ron quickly assured her. He wasn't about to give her an opportunity to make him a fool in front of his customers and fans. "Nothing at all—enjoying your job is good." He nodded at his own words. "I enjoy my job."

Hermione opened her mouth to reply but was cut short by an excited squeal before a mass of long ginger hair obstructed her view. She was engulfed by a set of Quidditch-toned arms.

"Oh, Hermione! I've missed you so much!"

"Ginny! It's been a while!" Hermione laughed in surprise, squeezing the girl tightly before leaning back to look at her. "Why are you here? When did you get back?"

"Just last night!" Ginny Weasley bounced up and down, as energetic as always. "I love traveling with my team, but there's no place like home—it's so good to be back!" She sighed dreamily, clasping Hermione's hands in her own. "Are you free today? Let's go shopping!"

"Would you bloody calm down?" Ron rolled his eyes at his sister. "And could you two take your chummy reunion somewhere else? You're causing a scene here."

Ginny stuck out her tongue at him, and Hermione looked around them. They were indeed attracting much attention from the customers, who were whispering among each other. She caught the words "war," "heroine," and "Quidditch."

"Actually…" Hermione trailed off, contemplating what she should do.

It wouldn't be bad to have Ginny as an ally. She could keep a secret, was very experienced when it came to relationships, had rather useful inputs when it came to scheming, and most importantly, didn't hate Malfoy's guts. Being the gossip queen that she was, Ginny was the one who had told her all about Malfoy's supposed change (even though Hermione had already heard most of it from the press)—and although she had seemed pretty skeptical about it, there was no malice whatsoever.

There was also that fact that she was Harry's ex, so if they ever needed Harry to cooperate, Ginny would know exactly what to do if Hermione didn't. But of course, Hermione always knew what to do. It just never hurts to have a back-up plan.

There was no doubt that she would be the perfect confidante. The only problem was Malfoy…would he want her to be in on their "battle" against the Changs?

Hermione frowned. On the other hand, she would feel bad for dragging Ginny into the fray—it would be exactly like what Malfoy had done to her. _Malfoy and his delicious lips…_

She was really losing it, wasn't she? Perhaps it would be good to tell Ginny after all—she needed to get an outsider's perspective on what exactly was going on. Nothing made any sense, and it was driving her, the epitome of logic and sense, crazy. Go figure.

"Shopping sounds splendid." Hermione found herself saying. Ginny's pearly whites were blinding.

* * *

><p>"You're kidding me!" The youngest Weasley gasped, clutching the brunette witch's arm.<p>

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Hermione questioned, lifting an eyebrow.

"Of course not." Ginny released her hold and batted the air. "Oh, this is just so perfect!"

"What is?" The older girl asked, genuinely confused. There was nothing "perfect" about her predicament.

"You and Malfoy!" Ginny gushed as she pulled Hermione into Twilfit and Tattings, giving the shop owner a brief greeting. She was a regular customer here.

"What?" Hermione stared at her. "This is all an act, Gin."

"I know that! But you did say that you two—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence."

"—kissed! There's definitely something going on there. You can't deny it." Ginny flipped through the dress robes on the rack before her. Hermione opened her mouth to protest but was once again interrupted.

"And I always knew that Cho Chang was a tricky one. Back then, when Harry and I were dating, she gave me dirty looks whenever I passed by her in the hallways. It was rather peculiar how often I saw her—it's like she was keeping an eye on me or something." Ginny shuddered. "But I suppose it's only natural. After all, she still has a thing for Harry."

Hermione started at that. "You think so?"

"I know so." Ginny-the-relationship-expert stated confidently. "I wouldn't be surprised if she tries to get in contact with Harry today."

"But I can't let her do that! Harry doesn't need any more reminders of the past—he's already been through enough!"

"I know." Ginny stepped out of the shop with Hermione. "But don't you think that this could be good for Harry too? I honestly think that he needs to talk about Cedric Diggory's death. It's been eating him away since it happened. I'm sure that you noticed, Hermione."

"He was preoccupied with too many things for me to notice anything in particular." She admitted, her shoulder sagging ever so slightly. "But he did try to talk to Ron and me about it…that conversation didn't go quite well, and it ended with us promising him to never bring it up again."

"He's just running away from the truth. You know that he's going to have to face it sooner or later, Hermione."

Hermione sighed sadly. "But now's not the time, Gin."

"If not now, then when?" The redhead fired back but not unkindly.

She didn't know. But Ginny was right. Years and years of keeping traumatic memories to himself couldn't be healthy.

"Hermione Granger?"

Ginny's eyes noticeably widened as her gaze shifted to the person standing behind the witch in question. Hermione turned around, only to find herself facing a familiar face from yesterday. Really now?

"It is you!" Zachary Alden's face split into a grin that must have won over many girls in the past. "Fancy seeing you again so soon!"

"Zachary?" She blinked.

"Didn't I tell you to call me Zach yesterday?" His grin widened. "I usually don't like people calling me Zachary, but it's okay if it's you." He waggled his eyebrows. "Whatever you prefer, babe."

There was a gagging sound from behind her. Hermione shot Ginny an amused smirk over her shoulder.

"I don't like it when people call me 'babe' and other pet names." Hermione returned, folding her arms in an unimpressed fashion.

"Sure thing, Hermione." Zach just continued to smile. Did all of the Changs have such big (and some of them fake) smiles? "So who's your pretty friend? She looks awfully familiar…where have I seen her before…"

"This is Ginny Weasley, my best girlfriend and renowned Seeker of the Holyhead Harpies." Hermione introduced proudly.

"No wonder I've seen her before!" He snapped his fingers for emphasis.

"I'm right here, you know." Ginny curled her lip. She disliked him already.

"I thought your best girlfriend was Cho." He frowned for a moment before shrugging it off. "Well, no matter! Ginny Weasley, is it?"

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance." The glowering redhead drawled sardonically.

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine." Zach insisted, grasping her hand and placing a lingering kiss on her knuckles. Horrified, Ginny snatched her hand away and glared daggers at him.

Undaunted, the player turned to Hermione. "But I prefer brunettes."

Hermione wanted to groan in aggravation, but that would be too impolite of her. There was no doubt that Zach was easy on the eyes, but honestly, the things that spewed from his mouth made him unattractive.

Zach took out his wand from the pocket of his long trench coat and conjured a bouquet of red roses. Nodding in satisfaction at how they turned out, he thrust the dozen into her arms. Hermione fumbled with the roses, nearly dropping them in her surprise.

"These are magically charmed to never wilt as long as you say that you'll be mine," he explained, "so won't you be mine, Hermione?"

Before two annoyed Gryffindors could say anything, an amused voice interrupted.

"Well, what do we have here…is Granger about to be proposed to?"

Hermione balked. Who was she _not_ going to see today?

"Blaise Zabini?" Ginny narrowed her eyes.

"Why if it isn't the Weaslette." Blaise sneered.

"Can't you come up with something better?" Ginny rolled her eyes. "That's really getting old."

"What brings you here, Zabini?" Hermione quickly interjected. Causing a scene wouldn't do them any good.

"I'm here to return the books that I bought yesterday." The Italian held up said books in one hand and picked at some imaginary lint on his expensive-looking coat with his other hand.

"Were they too advanced for you?" Ginny snickered.

Blaise shot her a death glare. "On the contrary, they were too bloody shallow for me to bear with. I couldn't get past the first chapter of one book without laughing at the sheer stupidity of it."

"And I suppose you'd know all about stupidity, wouldn't you?"

"Gin, please, not now." Hermione gave her hotheaded companion a stern look.

Ginny huffed but didn't say anything more, directing a venomous glare at the dark wizard instead.

With a sigh, Hermione looked at Zach, who appeared to be puzzled. "Thank you for the roses, Zach." She glanced down at her watch. It was ten minutes to eleven. "Would you please excuse us? I'm waiting for someone."

"Who?" The irritatingly persistent bloke demanded.

"My boyfriend." Hermione desperately hoped that she didn't need to say anymore. Zabini would surely react in a way that would blow their cover if he were to find out that her supposed boyfriend was his best mate.

"_Granger_ has a _boyfriend_?" Blaise asked in astonishment. He was ignored.

"_Him_?" Zach wrinkled his nose. "Are you two really dating?"

"Of course we are." Hermione snapped. "Didn't we make it crystal clear yesterday?"

"Why him?" The persistent young man demanded. "Why not me?"

Ginny had had enough. The fiery young woman pushed Hermione aside and jabbed her index finger at his chest. "Why in Merlin's name would it be you? What makes you think that you're better than Malfoy?" Hermione's eyes grew round, and she grabbed Ginny's arm, silently pleading her to stop talking. This instant. But the younger girl was too worked up to notice. "Malfoy has old money, bloody good looks, and most importantly, common sense!"

"…Malfoy? As in _Draco_ Malfoy?" Blaise asked carefully, his eyebrows drawn together.

"No, _Lucius_ Malfoy." Ginny rolled her eyes. "Of course I mean Draco Malfoy!"

"Ginny…" Hermione cast a swift glance at the Italian who looked thoroughly confused.

"Are you saying that I don't have common sense?" Zach looked amused, which only made Ginny angrier.

"If you had common sense, then you'd know when to stop chasing after someone who isn't interested!"

Zach gaped at her, opening and closing his mouth a few times like a fish. Then the infuriating smile slowly reappeared. "Ah, I get it."

"Do you?" Ginny challenged.

He nodded before putting his hands on her shoulders. "You want me to chase after you instead."

"You're unbelievable!" Shaking with fury, she shoved him away with such force that he fell to the ground on his behind. Heads turned.

"Ginny, that's enough." Hermione hissed into the girl's ear. "People are staring."

Ginny glared down at the wincing man who was struggling to lift himself up from the ground while rubbing his behind at the same time. "Why are you still here? Get lost already!"

"No, I don't think I will." He stood up and nonchalantly examined his finger nails. "Not until Hermione gives me an answer." He had the audacity to smirk.

"This insufferable—" Ginny raised a balled fist in a threatening manner, ready to strike. To everyone's surprise, the one who stopped her wasn't Hermione. She wasn't fast enough.

Blaise Zabini beat her to the punch, easily stepping forward to grab Ginny's wrist and force her arm down. He looked down his nose at her surprised face. "You don't want to do that, Weasley. Think about your reputation."

Conflicting emotions flit across her face as she pondered his words. With a sigh that was more irritated that resigned, Ginny turned her back on Zach and stormed away, her high heels loudly clacking against the rocky pavement with each angry step she took. Hermione made a move to follow, but Blaise put up a hand to stop her.

"You finish this up, Granger." Sneering, he looked the other man up and down before following Ginny's footsteps.

Massaging her temples, Hermione gave Zach a rueful smile. "She's always been like that, so don't take it too personally. Anyways, I hope you understand now. I can't reciprocate your affections."

At those words, the roses in her arms wilted instantaneously. Hermione looked at them a bit regretfully; they had been beautiful, and it wasn't everyday she received roses from a man. Now that she thought about it, this had been her first time. Ron had never given her roses; much to her disappointment and Ginny's exasperation, she had received practically everything but roses while they were dating.

"Okay, I get it." Zach combed a hand through his hair. He gave her a half smile. "Grandma was wrong. I knew that winning you over would be difficult. I saw the way that you two look at each other. He's lucky to have you."

_His grandma?_ Hermione regarded the man before her, suddenly curious. And why was it worth noting the way the two of them looked at each other?

He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his coat, his expression suddenly thoughtful. "She's kind of cute like that."

"Who?" Hermione stared at him.

"Ginny Weasley, huh?" Zach stroked his chin mischievously.

Hermione shook her head in disbelief. Nothing good could come out of this. Someone was seriously going to get trampled on, and it wasn't going to be Ginny.

* * *

><p>"Who the hell does he think he is? Playboys like him are the absolute worst—did you not see that? He was totally hitting on Hermione and me at the same time!"<p>

"Weasley—"

"And you know how Hermione is. She's too nice for her own good—if I hadn't been there, who knows what would have happened? She probably would have changed her mind and agreed to go on a date with him if he looked too pitiful!"

"Wea—"

"Then there's the problem with her and Malfoy. The world doesn't know yet, but once it gets out, word spreads fast—especially if it's about war heroine Hermione Granger or Draco Malfoy, the ex-Death Eater who's slowly but surely on his way back to the top. If news gets out that they're 'dating,' Hermione would be in trouble if she's seen in public with another man."

"Weas—"

"That's it. I'm going back to hunt down that git." With a resolute nod, Ginny moved around Blaise and began to retrace her steps.

She had only taken three steps when she was roughly pulled back.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" His grip on her arm was firm.

Ginny blinked up at him, genuinely confused.

"Don't you bloody ignore me like I'm not here. I have questions that you're going to answer right now."

* * *

><p>"Granger, what the hell are those?"<p>

Hermione looked up from her book, shielding her eyes from the sun that he was standing against. "You're half an hour late."

Draco smirked and sat down in the seat opposite of her. "I'm _fashionably_ late, Granger. There's a difference."

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "You're always well-dressed, so I don't see a difference."

Slightly bristling, he snorted and shook his head. "You and I know that neither of us even wants to be back here. So what are those?"

"They're _roses_, Malfoy. You know, the kind of flower that commonly symbolizes love and affection?" She smirked at the abrupt look of annoyance that overtook his face.

"My mother has a bloody garden with every single kind of flower imaginable, so I know more about roses than I care for." He retorted icily. "But it appears that you don't know a thing about caring for flowers, given the state those roses are in."

Hermione glared at him. "It was bound to happen."

He scoffed. "Not if you watered them. Anyways, it's too late for that—why haven't you revived them yet?" Then he was smirking again. "Ah, unless the spell that we learned in Herbology slipped your mind? Good thing I'm here."

She gave him a look that would have withered the roses if they weren't already withered. "Dream on, Malfoy. I already tried the spell but to no avail. These roses were magically charmed to never wilt as long as I returned the owner's affections."

"Ah, so it's like that." He nodded in comprehension. "Who gave them to you? Was it Weasley?" Draco internally rejoiced at the thought of the ginger-haired boy being rejected.

"No, it wasn't. Ron and I aren't like that anymore." Hermione plucked a petal off one of the roses.

"It was worth a guess. Everyone knows that he still has some feelings for you, however hidden they may be." He sneered.

She frowned. "I highly doubt it. We're just friends. Anyways, let's discuss—"

"You haven't told me who it was." Draco leaned back in his seat, folding his arms across his chest stubbornly.

"Well, if you must know…it was Zach."

"Who?"

"Zach!"

"Who the hell is Zach?"

"Honestly, Malfoy…Zachary Alden! You know, from yesterday! Iris's brother!"

"Potter wannabe?"

"…What?"

"You have to admit that the bloke has an eerie resemblance to Potter."

"I didn't notice."

"Oh, of course you didn't—you were too busy responding to his advances to notice."

"What?"

"Don't look at me like that, Granger. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"I wouldn't be asking if I knew, Malfoy. What are you trying to say?"

"Merlin! I saw the way you were looking at him last night during dinner."

"And he was just saying something about the way _we_ were looking at each other…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing. For Godric's sake, Malfoy, how could I have been looking at him when I was pretending to be your girlfriend?"

"What? Oh right, you were…but you were still looking at him."

"Because he was talking to me, and it was only polite to give him my attention. Malfoy, can we get down to business already?"

"Throw them away then."

"What?"

"The roses. If they don't mean anything to you, throw them away."

"I never said that they didn't mean anything to me—I just don't return the feelings behind them."

"Just throw them away."

"No."

"Granger."

"Malfoy."

"Stop being so bloody difficult!"

"I don't see how these roses are of your concern. I can keep them if I want to."

"Excuse me, Mr. Malfoy, are you ready to order?"

Draco glanced up in exasperation at the pretty waitress who had just interrupted and was batting her eyelashes and twirling her dark locks with a finger. Hermione coughed to hide her amusement.

The blond shot the brunette a look that made it clear that this conversation wasn't over before perusing through the menu that he had neglected.

* * *

><p>"What are they <em>doing<em>?"

"What does it look like?" Ginny snorted, jostling the shocked Slytherin aside so she could have a better view from their hiding spot. "I explained everything, so why are you so surprised? Merlin!"

"But what you said is bloody insane. Draco and Granger can't be working together." Blaise insisted, leaning against the wall as he shot the redhead, who was peering around the corner not-so-inconspicuously, a disturbed look. This couldn't be happening.

Ginny whirled around to face him, her eyes flashing and her face livid. She planted her hands on her hips menacingly. "Well, they _are_. Get over it! And don't you try to get in their way. I don't even know why I'm still here with you, so I'll be going now."

"Where?"

Ginny sniffed, giving him a sidelong glance. "To join them of course. It looks like they have more food than the two of them can finish." With a smirk, she began to briskly walk towards the blond and brunette in the distance.

Blaise watched her go, silently fuming. He was the one who walked away from others—not the other way around! With a determined and purposeful look on his face, he stalked after her, not really sure what he was getting himself into.

* * *

><p>"Hey guys, what's up? Oh that looks tasty, Hermione. Are you going to finish it?" Ginny pulled up a chair between the two perplexed people, pointing at Hermione's half-eaten food.<p>

"Who invited you, Weasley?" Draco put own his fork, a frown on his face. He admitted to himself that nowadays the Weaslette wasn't too bad to look at. His gaze shifted to Granger who looked more troubled than surprised by her sudden intrusion. But even so, she was stunning. Merlin, did time really make a difference or was he still insane? And Merlin, what exactly was going on between him and Granger?

Merlin didn't respond, and Draco was dragged from his thoughts.

"You're as rude as ever. Hello, Malfoy, long time no see." The ginger glanced at him before stealing Hermione's fork from out of her grasp. The brunette arched an eyebrow.

"Ginny," Hermione began in a concerned voice, "are you alright now?"

"He's not worth your time, Hermione." Ginny rolled her eyes. "Bloody pain in the arse…" she muttered under her breath.

Draco raised an intrigued brow. "I do hope you're not talking about me."

"Surprisingly, for once this isn't about you, Malfoy." Ginny brandished the fork in his direction. "But you're a pain in the arse too."

He snorted, half amused and half annoyed.

The sound of a chair scraping against the pavement startled all three people around the table to look up.

Blaise sat down in one fluid motion, picked up Draco's abandoned fork, and proceeded to eat the pieces of steak the blond had neatly cut for himself. Draco watched this spectacle in astonishment for a moment before his cool façade was back.

"Enjoying yourself, Zabini?" His voice was dark and threatening.

"Immensely, you foul git." The Italian said in between bites. He turned to his left, where Hermione was staring at him incredulously. "You didn't tell him off for me, did you?"

"It must have slipped my mind." Hermione shrugged. It was the truth—and besides, she had been preoccupied with other more pressing issues. Like how good Malfoy had looked...both yesterday and today. _Oh, Godric._

"Ouch, Granger, that hurts." Blaise drawled. "You don't take my words to heart."

She shrugged again. "That's what you get for skipping out on work."

"I didn't know you two were so close." Draco and Ginny commented simultaneously, one in the same dark tone and the other in dry sarcasm. They exchanged an odd look.

"We're not." Hermione assured them, eying the brooding blond suspiciously. "We're just coworkers."

"Why the hell are you here?" Draco glared at his best mate.

"I could ask you the same question, mate." Blaise shot back without hesitation. "You're with _Granger_. Granger, of all people."

"I hope that you're not implying what I think you are," Hermione warned at the same time Draco retorted, "Since when did my business become yours?"

"Um," Ginny started, looking rather sheepish. "Just so everyone is clear...he knows what's going on."

"_You_ told _him_?" Hermione accused her best girlfriend.

"_You_ told _her_?" Draco accused his supposed girlfriend. The ginger's words suddenly sunk in, and he turned to the calm and collected wizard who was still eating, alarmed. "Shit, _you_ know what's going on?"

* * *

><p><strong>Ginny wanted to be in the story, so here she is. :) This chapter was a bit of a filler, but Ginny's opinion is important! Next chapter: Cho Chang and drama. More Blaise, Ginny, and Dramione! ~Claudi Skies<strong>


	13. Thirteen Minutes Late

**Um...hi. I'm alive. I know that it's been forever, and I really don't know what to say. Surprise? I suddenly had the urge to write again after a LONG hiatus. Hopefully I'm back for good this time, but school really does get in the way of everything. I don't know how many people still follow this story, but to all my old followers who are still interested, I love you guys! Please enjoy. :)**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

* * *

><p>"<em>Everything<em>." Blaise smirked before setting down the fork. "Thanks for the food, mate."

"He knows that we…?" Hermione whispered frantically to Ginny, wringing her hands anxiously under the table.

The redhead caught on easily, appearing to be affronted that her best friend would even question her as if her loyalties were elsewhere. "No! Of course not. Hermione, you know that I'd never."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't need anyone else knowing what was going on between her and Malfoy…whatever it was. Inexplicable attraction? But was it even mutual?

"Everything." Draco reiterated, disbelief coloring his voice. Hermione studied him warily. He looked rather tense with his hands gripping the arms of his chair.

Blaise shrugged in a blasé fashion.

"Granger. Explain." The blond's narrowed eyes swung over to the brunette witch.

Explain? Her favorite word. Immediately calm and collected again, Hermione cleared her throat. "Well, I thought that it would be beneficial to have Ginny as an ally because she's an expert when it comes to things like relationships and dealing with people. She's a very people person." An image of Zach sprawled inelegantly on the ground made the corner of her lips quirk upward. "Well, when she wants to be."

Ginny shook her head, her eyes flashing with murderous intent. "Dealing with people like him is a whole different story." There was something about the way she said it that sent chills up Draco's spine. Not that he would ever admit it of course.

"You talking about the Potter look alike?" Blaise deadpanned.

"What?" The redhead spared a glance at him in her confusion.

"So you think so too?" The blond grinned at his fellow Slytherin before directing his smug smirk at the brunette. Hermione frowned, unimpressed.

Blaise looked like he had just swallowed something vile. "That bloke has an uncanny resemblance to—"

"—Potter. Exactly." Draco finished, nodding in approval. "And this is why we're friends."

They exchanged looks that only true Slytherins could have pulled off.

The Gryffindors simultaneously eye rolled in exasperation at their maturity or lack thereof.

"I don't see the _slightest_ resemblance." Ginny asserted with a pronounced huff, defending her ex-boyfriend's outlook. She didn't want that daft bloke named Zach to have anything to do with the people who mattered to her.

Hermione nodded in agreement. "See, Malfoy? Gin and I share the same sentiments, so it's not because I was 'too busy responding to his advances.'" She clipped in a haughty voice.

"Not a valid argument." Draco drawled in that I'm-superior-to-you voice she used to detest. But for some reason, she found it strangely fitting now…even attractive. _Godric._ "First of all, she's your best friend; of course she'll agree with you at all costs. Secondly, she's Potter's ex, and judging by the countless articles in the Prophet I've seen on the two of them, they're still good friends—meaning that she's still faithful to him. And then there's the fact that you're both Gryffindors, period. Bloody loyal Gryffindors…"

Hermione blinked at him.

"Well?" Draco arched an eyebrow, gesturing his hand towards her. "What are you waiting for? Where's your rebuttal?"

She felt Ginny and Blaise's eyes on her face. They were all waiting expectantly for her to answer. Malfoy's gaze was unnerving, and she squirmed discreetly in her seat. She couldn't remember what she'd wanted to say. It was disconcerting, as she _always_ had something to say—Malfoy was messing with her head. But she would not back down; no, it was against her very being to back down. What she needed was an excuse.

Hermione shot her hand up in the air with the steadfast determination she had so often displayed back in their Hogwarts days. "Check please!" She called over her shoulder, making eye contact with a waitress who smiled and nodded.

The Slytherins didn't know whether to snicker or drop dead from the shock.

"We're not here to discuss Zach and his appearance—we're here to discuss the logistics of the plan in detail and put it into action, and I'm not about to have this argument here where everyone can see and hear us. Perhaps later." _When my thoughts are collected…_ Hermione added silently to herself.

"Does this mean I just won?" Draco wondered out loud, shooting the witch across the table a satisfied smirk to intentionally piss her off. It worked.

A furious blush swept across her face. She clenched her fists under the table and glared at him. "No, you arrogant prick. We'll continue this later."

"Is that a promise?"

Her steely gaze faltered, and her fists unclenched. His smoldering gray eyes were flickering in amusement, and she found herself wondering whether they had always been this expressive. Merlin, her face was burning.

"This is making me sick." Blaise suddenly interjected with a groan. "Can you two stop?"

"_You're_ making _me_ sick. Can you leave?" Ginny glowered at him from over the rim of the glass as she took a sip of Hermione's water.

Draco and Hermione watched in strange fascination as Blaise and Ginny wordlessly battled it out with their eyes. As Hermione looked from one face to the other, something in the distance over Draco's right shoulder caught her attention.

Her hands shot out, palms held up, effectively halting the showdown. The exasperated participants and the very amused spectator blinked at her.

"It's Cho Chang." She hissed, her eyes meeting Malfoy's slightly narrowed ones.

"I'm going to go talk some sense into her." Ginny announced and made to stand up, only to be pushed back down by two firm hands from both sides.

"Not yet." Draco stated.

"Stick to the plan." Hermione's eyes darted from the redhead to the girl who was still visible in the distance.

"What plan?" Ginny inquired with a loud and impatient huff, fidgeting in her seat.

"That's what I've been trying to discuss!" Hermione sighed in irritation. "We don't want to be seen until our plan is solid and completely flawless." She shifted her attention to Draco. "Let's take this conversation elsewhere…somewhere more private."

"That's what I suggested yesterday, but Merlin knows why you insisted on meeting here in bloody Diagon Alley, which both of us know is currently being manifested by the Changs." He pointed out.

"I didn't expect to run into any of them, since Grandma Chang's shop is located up in Diagon Alley North and we're meeting in the café farthest away from it."

Before Draco could answer, Ginny interrupted in a dramatic fashion, slamming her hands on the table as she stood up and startling the two people on either side of her. (Well, startling one of the people on either side of her—Draco appeared to be unfazed as usual.) Her eyes were focused on something in the distance, and her mouth was set in a thin line.

"Was that really necessary, Gin?" Hermione frowned at her friend, still a bit jumpy.

"She's with Harry."

Hermione bolted out of her seat in a flurry, and Draco turned his head around so quickly that he nearly got a whiplash.

"This is not going according to plan!" The brunette zeroed in on the Ravenclaw. She was indeed accompanied by someone with a mop of messy black hair that could have only belonged to Harry. How had she not noticed him before?

Could she have already asked him the question? Hermione gasped. "I need to go over there and stop her—for Harry's sake."

"Here you go, Ms. Granger!" The waitress presented her with the check, smiling from ear to ear.

"Oh, not now!" The agitated witch snapped, giving the waitress a stern glare before grabbing her bag and heading purposefully towards the two figures in the distance.

"Wait for me!" Ginny took off after the witch on a mission, leaving a blinking but still unfazed Draco and a silent but unperturbed Blaise at the table.

The waitress balked with the check still awkwardly in hand.

"I'm not paying for your food, mate." Blaise spoke up.

Draco cleared his throat. "I'll take that check."

* * *

><p>"Harry!"<p>

The Chosen One turned around at the sound of his name and grinned. "Hermione! What brings you here to Diagon Alley?"

"I could be asking you the same question." Hermione looked between him and Cho, who was smiling pleasantly.

"Hello, Hermione." The dark-haired witch shifted her gaze to an approaching figure. Her smile widened. "Oh, it's Ginny Weasley! Even though I never really knew you back in our school days, I know that you're a sweet girl. I'm so glad that we're finally having to chance to get to know each other now!"

Ginny stared at the girl before her in disbelief. "I don't know what you're playing at—you clearly hated me back in our school days. The only memories I have of you are the few times we passed each other in the hallways, and you glared at me every single time." She turned her attention to the boy next to the Ravenclaw. "Hello, Harry."

Cho went on as if the redhead had not said anything. Her smile didn't falter. "I hope we can become good friends."

Hermione could feel the girl next to her tense, and she put a restraining hand on Ginny's arm. "Harry, what are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "I was just passing by Diagon Alley when I bumped into Cho. We've just been catching up."

Hermione gave her best friend a scrutinizing look. "Why would you be passing by Diagon Alley?"

Harry returned her look with one that suggested the answer should have been obvious. "Merlin, Hermione, why are you being so stubborn? You know that I can't stand being indoors all day, and besides, it's a Saturday—I was going to visit Ron and George. Ginny, it's so great to see you again! You were away with your team for quite a while."

She slightly pouted at his credible answer. So it wasn't Cho who had asked him to meet up…this was just a coincidence. Her lips pursed in thought. It was almost too much of a coincidence. Unless…

"Harry, to keep my parents safe, what did I do to them and where did I send them?"

Although Harry didn't understand why she was questioning him, his expression was solemn. The war had taught all of them to always remain vigilant and that it was better to take extra measures to be safe than sorry. "You _Obliviated_ them and sent them to Australia."

"What?" Cho gasped with wide eyes, both hands coming up to cover her mouth. "Oh Hermione, that must have been absolutely heartbreaking! I can't imagine ever doing that to my parents—you're so brave!"

Three sets of wary eyes shifted to appraise her, one in confusion and two in outright disbelief.

Hermione coughed before questioning, "And how are they now?"

Harry's face broke into a grin. "Living happily in their original home in Muggle London. Which reminds me, Hermione, did you visit them today like you said you would?"

So it wasn't Polyjuice then. Hermione was almost disappointed. She had wanted so badly to bust the Ravenclaw and make her unravel any other tricks she may have hidden up her sleeves. Hermione's gaze flickered momentarily to the smiling dark-haired witch before focusing on Harry again. "I did. They asked me how you and Ron are doing and want to invite the two of you over for dinner sometime soon."

"That's the best news I've heard all week!" Harry placed his hands on Hermione's shoulders. "Your mum's cooking is almost as good as Mrs. Weasley's!"

Hermione arched an eyebrow. "Almost?"

Ginny spoke up, a smug smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "As much as I love you, Hermione, I have to agree with Harry here. Mum's cooking is undefeatable."

Hermione laughed, her eyes glinting mischievously as she playfully batted Harry's arms away. "Your mum's cooking is definitely the best I've ever tasted in the Wizarding World. But in the Muggle world, my mum's dominates. I suppose you two will just have to see for yourself—it's been a while since you've last tasted her cooking. I swear that it gets better everytime."

Ginny smirked. "Fine. Challenge accepted."

Harry turned to Cho, whose smile now seemed to grow more forced with each second. "Would you like to join us? That is, if Hermione doesn't mind—I just feel awful discussing something that you're not a part of right now in front of you."

Hermione gnawed on her bottom lip in thought. This would mean that she, Harry, and Cho would all be under the same roof. A slow smile crept across her face. Perhaps this mission would be accomplished sooner than she had thought; she had the obvious advantage in her parents' home. "Of course, my parents would love to have you, Cho. And besides, I've been meaning to thank you for dinner last night, so this would be the perfect opportunity."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "You two had dinner together last night?"

Cho nodded eagerly, flashing her dazzling smile. "Oh yes, and we did a lot of catching up, didn't we Hermione?"

The Gryffindor did her best to restrain the venom that was threatening to leak into her voice. "Right."

"Hermione and I are good friends now." The Ravenclaw continued, casually linking arms with Harry.

The Boy Who Lived still appeared to be puzzled, but a faint blush was slowly spreading across his face from Cho's contact. It didn't go by unnoticed. Hermione could have sworn that the right side of Cho's lips had briefly quirked upwards, and Ginny had to prevent an undignified snort from escaping.

Clearing her throat, Hermione looked between the three people present. "So does tomorrow night sound like a plan to everyone?"

Just as they were voicing their affirmatives, two new voices interrupted.

"What's happening tomorrow night?"

"Count me in, whatever it is that's happening."

Oh Godric, she had clean forgotten about the Slytherins. Hermione glanced up at Draco, who had walked up to stand on her right, and then at Harry, who looked…surprisingly calm. The two former enemies exchanged formal nods.

"Potter."

"Malfoy."

Hermione blinked rapidly. What had she missed here? Where were the insults? This was almost unsettling, and it was a far cry from what she had expected. In fact, she had hoped that while she and Malfoy were pretending to be couple, she wouldn't have to involve the boys. Well, that hope just shattered. It seemed like Harry and Ron would be dragged along after all, just like how she and Ron somehow always got caught up in Harry's problems.

"Are you two being civilized to one another?" She couldn't help but sound dubious.

Harry shrugged. "Let bygones be bygones. I've decided to put the past behind me, Hermione, once and for all. I won't let it haunt me any longer."

Hermione was stunned at Harry's firm resolve. What did he mean? Was he going to bury it all, or was he going to let it all out and move on? She quickly stole a glance at Cho, who was no longer trying to keep a smile on her face. It seemed like the Ravenclaw was troubled as well. Despite her surprise, Hermione wanted to smirk victoriously. Looks like Cho wouldn't be getting her way easily after all.

"For the first time in my life, Potter, I have to say that I agree with you." Draco stated almost grudgingly before sniffing. "But this is the only time you'll ever hear me say that."

"We'll see about that." Harry confidently shot back. The two men silently sized each other up, although the usual animosity was absent. Hermione stared in amazement and strange fascination.

Harry grew pensive. "Hermione, you and Malfoy seem to be on…good terms. I find that odder than me and Malfoy being civilized to each other." The suspicion was evident in his tone.

There was suddenly too little air around her, and Hermione fought against the panic that was building up in her gut. She never was able to lie to Harry, but she had to find an excuse to explain to him later—not while their target was here. Wracking her brain, Hermione looked up at Draco, who glared at the silent plea evident in her expression.

"He's your friend, not mine." The Slytherin retorted simply, once again pushing the difficult task into her hands and leaving her to fend for herself.

Good Godric, why had she found him charming enough to plant one on him again?

"Hermione, are you hiding something from me?" Harry accused, his gaze darting between the passive blond and the restless brunette who was biting her lip.

"No, Harry, I'm—I was just going to wait for the right moment to tell you." Hermione said in a rush, settling for a vague answer.

Harry wasn't buying it. His admirable stubbornness was really a pain sometimes. "Hermione—"

"Oh, look at the time! Harry, we're thirteen minutes late for our lunch reservation." Cho tugged on his arm. "I'm sure Hermione will tell you everything you want to know later. She wouldn't hide anything from you if she didn't have a good reason for it, right?"

What was she playing at now? Oh, she's good…assuming the role of the peacemaker while placing herself in a favorable position.

To Hermione's great surprise, Harry took the bait. The color in his cheeks was back. "You're right, Cho. I trust you, Hermione, so I just hope that you'll leave me out of the dark soon." He gave his best friend a small smile. "I'm quite curious."

"Of course, Harry. I promise to tell you everything." Hermione returned the smile and pulled him into a brief hug. She locked eyes with Cho over Harry's shoulder. The Ravenclaw wasn't pleased; although her face was masked, the tension was visible in the way she stood rigidly with the tight grip she had on Harry's arm.

"Then I'll wait for you to bring it up first." Harry released his one-arm hold around Hermione. "Cho and I are off to lunch now. Would anyone like to join us?"

"I never thought I'd live to hear the golden boy ask Slytherins to join him for lunch." Blaise snickered from his position behind the group.

Said golden boy chuckled. "I didn't notice you there, Zabini, so I suppose the invitation doesn't include you."

"You wound me with your harsh words, Potter."

Ginny rounded on him. "No one asked for your opinion."

Blaise sneered. "Since when did I ever ask anyone to express an opinion?"

Hermione sighed in slight exasperation. They were at it again. If she didn't know Ginny, she would've seen the two of them as an old bickering couple. They were connected and yet disconnected at the same time. "We actually just ate, but thanks for the invitation."

"Okay, I think we'd better go then." Harry announced hastily and nudged the Ravenclaw, who appeared to be more amused than she should be. "It was nice seeing you all again. Owl me later or drop by, Hermione!" With those parting words, he and Cho went on their way.

"Is it wise to leave them alone?" Draco spoke up as they watched the two of them walk away with linked arms.

"I don't think that she's going to try to get anything out of him today. She's working on earning his trust first, so until she's sure that he's willing to confide in her, nothing should happen just yet." Hermione reasoned logically.

"It doesn't look like it'll take too much effort to gain his trust." Draco commented dryly as he stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. "He turns the shade of Weasley's hair at practically everything she says."

The Gryffindor frowned. "So you noticed too. Although it may seem like she already has him in her grasp, Harry is careful about who he trusts. I just hope that he'll be able to see through her ploy."

"You don't think that Chang's intentions toward him could be genuine?"

"Hey, whose side are you on?" She glowered at him.

He smirked at her hostility. "Calm down, Granger. I'm just saying that she's trying awfully hard to gain his favor."

Hermione tilted her head in consideration, mulling over his words. "It's clear to me that she does have some feelings for Harry, but at the same time, I can't allow her to use these feelings as a mean to an end and get what she wants. And if Harry does end up returning her feelings, then he could get hurt. At this moment, I refuse to believe that her intentions are pure in any way. She threatened me, remember?"

"How could I forget." Draco drawled sarcastically. "You consumed eleven scoops of ice cream and provided a lengthy explanation of the reason behind your anger."

Hermione smiled sheepishly and tucked a curl behind her ear. "I'm sorry you had to put up with that last night. When I'm angry, I have to vent to someone because keeping it inside of me would drive me absolutely insane. Harry and Ron are usually the unfortunate people who have to sit through my tirades."

The blond shrugged dismissively. "It's fine, I'm the same way—I just don't indulge in an outrageous amount of ice cream to quell my anger. I swear, woman, that you'll end up putting Fortescue's out of business." He smirked as she hit his arm. After a pause, he added, "And besides, you made up for it quite spectacularly."

Hermione suddenly noticed how close they were standing; their toes were only centimeters apart and she could feel some of his body heat. Her cheeks were on fire as she tore her gaze away from his face and dropped her eyes to the ground.

Licking her front teeth in anticipation, Hermione summoned her courage to ask him the inevitable question. "What did it mean?" She asked quietly, still staring at the concrete.

He hesitated for a second. "What do you want it to mean?"

Her eyes darted up to his face on their own accord. His eyes were carefully guarded. "I—I don't know. It was a spontaneous act on my part."

His smoky gray orbs hardened ever so slightly. "Spontaneous act." He repeated. "I suppose it didn't mean anything then."

If Hermione hadn't known better, she would've thought that he almost sounded a bit hurt. But Malfoys didn't let others wound them, physically or emotionally, right? They always masked their true thoughts and emotions, for these could be weaknesses for others to prey on. (And Malfoys were never prey—they were the predators.)

"I suppose it didn't." She agreed. "I think I was just letting the day's events get to me—pretending to be a couple and all that. I probably wasn't in my right mind after such an exhausting night."

"I see." He curtly replied, his face deceptively devoid of emotion.

"I don't like it when you do that."

Confused, Draco stared at her. "Do what?"

"Close yourself up like that. It bothers me to not be able to know how you're feeling and what you're thinking."

He snorted in disdain. "That's the point, Granger."

"But I want to be able to understand." She huffed and looked down to toy with a curl. "It's against my nature not to."

He couldn't help but smirk at that. "I know. But why do you want to understand me?"

"Because…because…" Hermione struggled to answer him, but the words weren't coming. Why exactly did she want to understand him? Her eyes found his face again, and her breath hitched in her throat. He was wearing the same smile she had seen in Grandma Chang's shop and it was making her feel pleasantly warm. Her heart was pounding and her stomach was fluttering; it seemed like her body no longer wanted to be restrained. And suddenly, she had her answer.

Looking around, she barely acknowledged the fact that Ginny and Blaise were still arguing in the background before she grabbed the blond's arm and pulled him into the alley between the two shops they were standing by. Making sure that there was no one hanging around, she pushed Malfoy against the wall and took a firm hold of both of his arms.

He looked disgruntled at having been treated so roughly. "Granger, what the fu—"

She pushed herself up on her toes and silenced his mouth with her own. Draco didn't even have the chance to register what was happening before she pulled away, ending it just as soon as it had started. Hermione let go of him and took a few steps back to rest her back against the opposite wall as she assessed his astonished expression.

Despite the furious blush that she knew was there, she began to laugh. "You should see the look on your face—it's priceless. I've realized that I only get to see the different sides of you when I surprise you like this. Otherwise you're always so cold and distant. Well, okay and a flirt at the same time. I really don't know how you manage to do all that."

Running his tongue across his upper lip, Draco cleared his throat. "Was that spontaneous?"

Hermione was caught off guard by the intensity in his voice that was reflected on his face. She had to look away from his smoldering and calculating gaze. "I suppose I just make spontaneous decisions when I'm around you, but I also—I wanted to." The silence that followed her bold confession was deafening. When seconds ticked by and he still hadn't said anything, she grew nervous. "I'm sorry if that was too much, I know that it was unexpected and—"

His lips were on hers in a searing kiss that made her body tingle. One of his hands clutched her hip while the other fisted in her curly locks. He tugged at her hair to elicit a small gasp from her and took the opportunity to ruthlessly shove his tongue into her mouth. If the witch wanted to play, then he was game. And he was aiming to win.

But she was a surprisingly formidable opponent. Her tongue was just as active as his, and she met each of his advances with her own. Who knew that the girl he had thought to be a prude would be such a fantastic kisser? He sure hadn't known before last night, but by no means was he complaining. She had one hand on his back and the other in his hair behind his head, allowing her to pull him even closer until they were completely wrapped around each other with no space between them.

Despite the body heat that they were sharing, she noticed that she suddenly felt more exposed to the cold air and realized that he had somehow unbuttoned the top half of her long coat while she had been distracted by his skillful tongue. She was wearing a thin blouse inside that was getting creased as he moved his hand to rest on her hip again, this time without the added layer of her heavy coat.

It was only when the hand that was touching her hip glided up dangerously close to her breasts did her eyes snap open. She turned her head to the side, ending their frenzied battle of the tongues. "That's too fast." She managed to say as she struggled to catch her breath.

Draco chuckled breathlessly and she could feel the vibrations travel through his body. "So you're okay with snogging but not touching?" He released the hand that was in her hair and brought it down to her stomach, only to be batted away.

"What are we doing?" Hermione asked as she buttoned up her coat again, much to Draco's disappointment.

He shrugged as the infuriating smirk reappeared. "You started it."

"It was only supposed to last long enough to make you react! I wasn't expecting you to just take advantage of me like that."

"It's not taking advantage when you're willing."

"Bugger off, Malfoy."

"Come now, Granger. You don't mean that. I know that you enjoyed it."

"So what? You did too!"

"Of course I did. That was the best snog I've ever had in my entire life. Can we continue where we left off?"

"No! That wasn't even supposed to happen!"

"Many things that aren't supposed to happen just happen. All we can do is build a bridge and get over it."

"Don't try to be a smart arse. It's not becoming of you."

"Granger, just admit that we're physically attracted to each other."

"We are?"

"I see the way that you look at me, and sometimes you get too embarrassed to even make eye contact. And apparently, you have enough interest in me to want to understand me."

"Fine, I see no point in denying it. So what's your excuse?"

"You're downright beautiful, and you have the loveliest lips I've ever had the pleasure to taste."

"I—what? This—this changes nothing about our relationship, you hear?"

"Yes, of course not. I just get to snog you senseless whenever I feel like it."

"Just not in public. Are we clear?"

"Crystal ball clear."

"Stop that. I don't want to think about Grandma Chang or Trelawny."

"You're right, I'd rather snog."

"Not now, Malfoy."

"I paid for your lunch. It's the least you can do to repay me."

"I'll pay you back later. In the form of coins."

"Aw, come on, Granger."

"We should go see how Ginny and Zabini are doing. They were still arguing the last time I checked."

"They've probably killed each other. Either that, or they're off somewhere shagging."

"Don't be so vulgar! That's my best friend you're talking about."

"Well, he's my best mate. I know when he's interested in a chick, and let me tell you that he's beyond interested in Weasley...for whatever reason."

"That's what I was thinking too. Why is it that we're suddenly so alike? Are you somehow reading my mind without using Legilimency?"

"I would if I were a masochist. Why would I even want to bother figuring out the stuff that goes through your mind? Hey, ow! That hurt! Are you a sadist? Anyways, maybe we've always been alike—but circumstances prevented us from taking the time to notice."

"Touché, Malfoy."

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><p><strong>That's it for now! What do you guys think about bold Hermione? I had an amusing time writing the last section. ;) ~Claudi Skies<strong>


	14. Fourteen Piled Plates

**I'm so so so glad to see that people are still interested in this story! I intend to finish it, and all this lovely feedback is always much appreciated and gives me the motivation I need to write! :)**

**ThePrimusLune: I've missed you too, dear! Your consistent reviews always make me smile, and believe me when I say that I'm so honored and lucky to have your unwavering support! You're the best!**

**molangs: What can I say? I aim to please! I honestly really liked writing that kissing scene. :P You changed your pen name right? I was confused for a few seconds there haha. Thank you as always!**

**sapphire-lights: Oh yes, that's the reaction I was hoping for! :)**

**terfle: The Ginny/Blaise pairing will definitely be featured more...in fact, there's a lot in this chapter! ;) I love them too!**

**shelbeey: It's been a month since my last update...I'm sorry that it's not as soon as you'd probably hoped!**

**Okay I'm not going to lie, this chapter is probably the most dramatic one so far, and you will soon see why. Warning: There is quite a bit of swearing in this. I'm not joking; I basically included everything except for the f-word because then I would have to change the rating. Hopefully no one gets offended. :P**

**Disclaimer: I wish.**

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><p>The infuriated redhead met the Italian's dark look with a piercing glare that could shatter glass. "I'm done wasting my breath on you."<p>

"You took the words right out of my mouth."

"Bastard."

"Bitch."

"Frigid, heartless arsehole."

"Hot-tempered, tactless slut."

"Who are you calling a slut?!" Ginny exploded in uncontrollable rage. Her long wind-swept hair was crackling dangerously with magic. "You have no right!"

Even with a murderous expression on, Blaise managed to sound cool and collected. This only fueled the fiery Gryffindor's boiling anger. "A slut is someone who leads others on and to put it plainly, sleeps around. If that's not what you are, then I don't know what you could possibly be. Tell me, what's worse than a slut?"

"You don't even know who I am, so don't you _dare_ judge me!"

"I know enough to call you a slut."

"Well, let me refresh your memory then. _You_ slept with this slut! Twice! What does that make you?" Her lips curled into a cruel sneer. "My bitch?"

The intimidating man before her nearly let his composure slip, but caught himself just in time. He released a vehement snarl. "Don't." The warning in his hostile tone was clear.

"Don't what? Oh yes, I went there, _Zabini_." Ginny spat his name in obvious distaste and resentment. "I remember our second rendezvous as if it had happened just yesterday."

Blaise closed his eyes and took a few calming breaths before he stared straight into her flashing brown eyes. "Don't you dare bring up the past."

"Why?" She shot back fiercely. "Are you avoiding the truth? Did you bury something that you're afraid to remember?"

He was silent, and Ginny took a moment to catch her breath before giving him a twisted but victorious smirk. "I hit a nerve there, didn't I?"

When he still didn't say anything and actually turned his eyes away in what appeared to be a disinterested fashion, she was once again consumed by her volatile temper. "Why aren't you saying anything? It's all _your_ fault!"

Blaise returned his sharp gaze on her. "My fault?"

"Yes, you bastard! Why do you think I acted the way I did? Why do you think I bloody decided to join the Holyhead Harpies as soon as they expressed their wishes to recruit me when I could have waited?"

His barely contained anger had dissipated and was replaced with confusion, although his face showed otherwise. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You just don't understand, do you?!" In a moment of spontaneity, she acted upon her violent fury and whipped out her wand, fully intending to hex the man into oblivion. She would save her infamous Bat-Bogey Hex for last. "_Furnun_—"

"_Expelliarmus_! _Accio_ wand!" Still flushed from what had transpired earlier, Hermione caught the disarmed wand, pocketed the two wands in her grasp, and rushed over to physically restrain her best friend who looked like she would lash out at any moment. "What's going on, Ginny?"

Fascinated, Draco took in the scene before him. He could tell that his best mate was struggling to recover from his initial shock, even though the man's appearance did not give anything away. With wry amusement, the blond noted that the redhead was fighting against Hermione's iron grip. Something very interesting had happened while he and Granger had been…busy. It seemed like he was right; they had been about to kill each other. He made a mental reminder to gloat about this in front of the brunette later.

"You heartless son of a bitch! Just wait until I get my wand back!" Ginny screamed, still struggling with all her might. "Give me my wand, Hermione!"

Clenching her jaw and wincing as she was ruthlessly elbowed in the ribs, Hermione felt her grip loosening—Ginny's strength was impressive after all those months of intensive Quidditch training. Quickly scanning their surroundings, Hermione was relieved that either Ginny or Blaise had cast a _Muffliato_ to ward off any curious eyes. There was only one way to stop the redhead when she had one of her temper tantrums.

"Sorry, Gin." Hermione apologized with a frown. "_Petrificus Totalus_!"

The angry witch promptly froze and fell back against the brunette, who caught her and proceeded to drag her into the alley for the time being. Stunned, Draco watched Hermione disappear from view. Did she really just petrify her best friend? Apparently so. _What a ruthless bi—I mean, witch!_

Shaking his head in something akin to awe, Draco moved to stand in front of Blaise. "What the hell did you do, mate? Weasley was really off her rocker."

Blaise looked at his best mate with a somewhat bemused expression. "I don't even know." The blond scrutinized the wizard before him for a few seconds and arched a brow in intrigue; there was a hint of guilt in the man's confused state. Before he could say anything, Hermione returned to the scene and approached them with purposeful strides. She stopped next to Draco and also carefully inspected the Italian's face.

"Okay, Zabini. Spill." She folded her arms across her chest and fixed the man with a stern look. "Why was Ginny so angry?"

Running a hand through his black hair, Blaise made an exasperated sound in the back of his throat. "We were arguing—"

"Surprise, surprise." Draco interjected in dry sarcasm. He received two glares.

"—about the most trivial things and it quickly escalated to certain unmentionable events that happened in the past."

"What do you mean by unmentionable?" Hermione's eyes narrowed. Draco perked up, clearly interested in where this conversation was going.

Blaise shifted a bit under their intense gazes and chose to focus on Hermione. He couldn't look his best friend in the eye at the moment. "I can't say. It's something that's strictly between her and me."

Unsatisfied with his answer, Draco took over the role of questioning. "What are you hiding from me?" Simultaneously, Hermione's eyes darted over to the alley where Ginny was before asking out loud, "What is she hiding from me?"

Evidently uncomfortable now, Blaise hesitantly turned his attention to the blond. "It's nothing, Draco."

"Nothing, my arse." Draco shot down his friend's feeble attempt at ending the conversation. "What are you hiding from me, Zabini?"

"Fine. You're as stubborn as always." Blaise rolled his eyes heavenward. "But I'd prefer if Granger wasn't around when I tell you."

Hermione put her hands on her hips in annoyance as Draco glanced at her from out the corner of his eye. "Fine, I'll just ask Ginny myself then."

Blaise set his mouth in a thin line but did not respond.

"But just tell me one thing." The witch regarded him coolly. "What did you say to make her angry to the point of wanting to hex you?"

Briefly closing his eyes, Blaise admitted in a quiet voice, "I called her a slut."

_Smack! _

Draco watched in outright astonishment as the witch slapped his best mate across the face with all the strength she possessed in her petite figure. She looked absolutely livid, and her furious and tense stance was a strong indicator that she wanted to do more damage. The blond Slytherin unconsciously reached up to touch his own face with a grimace; he remembered how much it had stung when she had slapped him during their Third Year. Back then, the smack must have been loud enough to make a baby cry, but it was nothing in comparison to the resounding smack that he had just witnessed. Holy Mother of Merlin, Zabini was done for. Although Draco somewhat empathized, there was no way in hell he was about to go against an enraged Hermione Granger. Been there, done that, almost died. _It's been nice having you as my best mate, Blaise._

"How dare you." Hermione's body trembled with apoplectic rage. The two Slytherins both cringed; the iciness in her voice could cut even the thickest of skin. "I don't know the whole story behind it, but I do know that she had her reasons. You had no right to call her that, you despicable bastard! What did she ever do to you?"

Ignoring his painfully throbbing cheek, Blaise glowered down at his coworker who had dared to slap him. "You want to know what she did to me? She played with my feelings and treated me like I was nothing better than a piece of shit! Even worse, she didn't see me as any different from all the other guys she went around with."

_All the other guys she went around with?_ With a cry, Hermione raised her hand to strike the man within an inch of his life when Draco's hand suddenly shot out and took a hold of hers. Struggling to pull away, she rounded on the man with the steadfast grip and faltered when she took in his determined expression.

"Stop, Granger. I'll handle it from here." Draco looked over at his best mate, who appeared to relax a bit at the sudden turn of events. "Don't think that you're off the hook, Zabini."

Taking a deep breath, Hermione willed herself to calm down as she gazed up at the blond, conflicted. "Are—are you sure?"

He gave her a firm nod. "I'll get his side of the story from him." Glancing at his best mate who was once again feigning stoicism, he added a bit ominously, "Using my own methods."

Hermione bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. "I want to hex him so badly."

He graced her with a small smirk and squeezed the hand in his grasp before reaching up with his other hand to stop her from incessantly gnawing on her bloody lip. Tilting her chin up, he looked straight into her eyes that were glistening with unshed tears of anger. "I won't stop you if he deserves it."

"Some best mate you are." Blaise muttered. He was silenced by identical scowls in his direction.

Relenting with a small nod, she tentatively smiled. When he noticed that the smile didn't reach her eyes as it usually did, it took all of his self-control to not kiss away the troubled look that was threatening to take over her face. _I just want to push her up against a wall again and—_

"Let's call it a day then, Malfoy, as we have more pressing issues to attend to." Hermione reluctantly pulled away from him. "I'm going to talk to Ginny and we'll discuss this later. As for the Changs…do you have time tomorrow to meet up before the dinner with my parents? Harry and Cho Chang will be there, and I want to be prepared. Also, with the way things are right now, I'm not sure if Ginny will want to show up if _he_ is going to be there." She purposely avoided calling him by name to spite him. _He_ snorted to himself.

Draco considered her words thoughtfully. "I suppose we'll just have to see how our respective talks go. Perhaps the two of them can resolve this issue tomorrow before or after dinner. As for meeting up, I'll owl you later." He paused. "On second thought, I don't have your address so you should owl me first. I'm still at the Manor with my parents."

Consenting with a nod, Hermione shyly looked up at him from under her eyelashes before bouncing up on her toes and planting a lingering kiss on the bottom right corner of his mouth. Neither of them noticed Blaise's eyes noticeable widen in surprise.

Stepping away again, the Gryffindor gave the immobile blond a parting smile and shot a dirty and withering glare at the dark-haired as she went back to the alley. A few seconds later, an indignant Ginny Weasley's voice traveled all the way to where the two wizards were standing.

"Hermione, you bitch! How could you—"

She was cut off and all was quiet. Draco presumed that Hermione had performed Side-Along Apparition. Damn that woman…she always managed to catch him off guard! But he would be lying if he said he didn't like it—it was part of her charm. Snapping out of his daze, Draco turned to face the quiet man, who was still failing to conceal his surprise.

The blond's eyes narrowed. "What's with that face?"

Blaise languidly looked around them as if he were browsing through potion ingredients.

"Well what is it?" Draco growled in irritation.

"I'm searching for that Ravenclaw or one of her relatives." The Italian informed him offhandedly, still moving his eyes about in an exaggerated manner.

"I'm pretty sure they're not around at the moment. You saw her and Potter leave, didn't you?"

"Then I don't understand what I just saw." Blaise finally turned his eyes to his best mate. "That was some acting, Draco."

Draco didn't like the tone of his voice at all; it was like the man knew something that he didn't. There was even a hint of a smirk. "Wipe that look off your face. The spotlight is on you, Zabini. Not me."

Blaise immediately grew sober, and a predatory smirk made its presence known. This was going to be interesting.

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><p>Zachary Alden cowered as his grandmother sent a dish flying over his head like a frisbee that barely missed him by a few inches and shattered into pieces against the wall behind him. He nervously clasped his hands in front of him and looked down in shame as he shifted uncomfortably in his kneeling position.<p>

Standing rigidly and menacingly across the room, Grandma Chang glared down at her grandson who looked like he would sacrifice anything to be anywhere else but here. "What did you say?"

Zach felt each punctuated word stab through his gut and he glanced at the far corner of the room with longing—he just wanted to curl up in the corner like a frightened child. Although he was in his mid-twenties, he certainly felt twenty years younger at the moment. Taking a deep breath, he willed himself to stop shaking and looked up at the Chang matriarch. "I—I couldn't win her over. I apologize, grandmother."

Grandma Chang wandlessly levitated another plate from the pile of at least fourteen on the table and hurled it at the opposite wall. It grazed his left shoulder and Zach felt himself trembling again. "You stupid boy! How dare you defy my orders? It should have been a simple task!"

"But I did use all of my natural charms on her! I even used the roses like you told me too!"

"Silence!" His grandmother demanded, her eyes flashing dangerously. "It was the perfect opportunity and you let it go to waste. You'll never find a more suitable bride than Hermione Granger, you imbecile!"

"But she's madly in love with that boyfriend of hers! I couldn't do anything about it."

"Are you blind, boy? That's not love! Now I have to come up with another plan to steal Draco away."

"Grandma—"

"I don't want to hear it! You are breaking a family tradition! Your sister who is only two years older than you already has children! Your mother married at the age of eighteen and gave birth to you at twenty-one! Men of the Chang family typically marry by the age of twenty-one and you have already exceeded it by three years! What can be more dishonorable than that?"

Zach clenched his fists in determination and gritted his teeth. "I haven't found the right girl yet, but I promise you that I will!"

"Of course you haven't found the right girl yet, fool! You spend your waking hours chasing skirts and you play around with just about any girl you can get your hands on! Why would anyone willingly take a promiscuous good-for-nothing man like you for a husband? My lifespan has been shortened by at least ten years from all this worrying!"

Ouch. Although she was right, he did have standards too…and who was she kidding? She really wasn't going to be gone anytime soon.

"Grandma, this is hardly fair! Shouldn't you be angry at Cho as well? Don't the women of our family marry by twenty? She's past the age too!"

"Cho already has a plan, unlike you! She will soon be wed and I am certain that Cornelia and Adam will follow close behind. You will be the only one left!" With a fierce sweep of her arm, the rest of the piled dishes crashed onto the ground. Zach watched in trepidation as she furiously wiped away the tears that were threatening to spill over. Grandma Chang whirled away from him and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "Zach, you know that I only want what's best for you. You're my precious grandson."

The guilt hit him hard and washed through him like a giant turbulent tsunami. He was drenched in his own shame and regret. Slowly standing up and trying to ignore the painful numbness in his legs, he cautiously approached his grandmother and gently wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "I know, grandma. I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment."

She sighed heavily and turned to face him, bringing one hand up to stroke his hair soothingly. "We'll find the perfect wife for you, Zach. However, you must first change your atrocious lifestyle and habits."

"I promise I will, grandma." He said sincerely. After a moment of hesitation, he added, "And I think I am genuinely interested in someone."

"Is it Hermione Granger? I knew that she was the one for you as soon as I laid eyes on her! Even though she rejected your advances, there is still hope!" Grandma Chang chirped in excitement. And just like that, she was back to her bubbly, overly-enthusiastic self.

"Actually, it's her best girlfriend." Zach anxiously waited for his grandmother's reaction.

"Isn't her best girlfriend Cho?" She furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Apparently her other best girlfriend is Ginny Weasley. You know, the famous Quidditch player?"

"Oh, the redhead who is often featured on the covers of Quidditch magazines and Witch Weekly and always ranked among the top ten in the annual list of most beautiful witches? Wasn't she Harry Potter's girlfriend at some point too?"

"Yes, that's her."

"Oh, that's fantastic! She's not nearly as well-known as Hermione, but her beauty makes up for it. According to the last issue of Witch Weekly she was interviewed in, her fiery personality is her most charming quality." Grandma Chang mused as a grin spread across her face. She gave her grandson's hand a delighted squeeze. "Yes, she would be a perfect addition to the family!"

Zach smiled in relief. "I'm glad you think so, grandma."

"Come now, my boy, there is little time and much to plan!"

* * *

><p>Harry,<p>

How did your lunch with Cho go?

Just a reminder, dinner tomorrow is at 7.

With all my love,

Hermione

* * *

><p>The almighty monkey that came in ninth place,<p>

I got Ginny's side of the story, and to say that I'm surprised would be an understatement.

I still can't believe that she was able to hide it so well…

Anyways, she will still be attending dinner tomorrow night. Please tell _him_ that.

There is much to discuss, so when are you free tomorrow?

-Hermione Granger

* * *

><p>Hermione,<p>

It was fantastic—I have lots to tell you!

She didn't explicitly say this, but I think she's interested in giving us another chance…

What do you think? I'm anxious for an answer, but we can talk about this tomorrow too.

Love, Harry

* * *

><p>The infuriating know-it-all,<p>

Blaise's side of the story was quite interesting and admittedly much more serious than I had initially thought it would be, but you can't hex him until we see if it fits with the Weasley's.

I gave him a well-deserved tongue-lashing for keeping me in the dark about this.

He has decided to not attend dinner tomorrow, and I think that some time apart can be good for them. Did I really just write that? Apparently I do bloody care about others. Sometimes.

How does lunch tomorrow at some place that's not in Diagon Alley sound? I'm sure that we've both had more than enough of that bloody place. Your treat, since you insisted on paying me back "in the form of coins."

Although, I really do prefer a different kind of payment, if you know what I mean.

Can we snog soon?

Unashamedly, The only dragon in the sky

P.S. I don't care if the crazy Chinese people say that I was born a bloody monkey. It's all rubbish to me.

P.P.S. You are bloody scary when you're pissed off. Remind me to always stay on your good side.

P.P.P.S. Keep your Floo open for me from now on.

* * *

><p>Hermione found herself smiling as she finished reading Draco's owl and tucked it away in her drawer reserved for letters. He was right; perhaps Ginny and Blaise shouldn't see each other again so soon. As for Harry's owl, she wanted to discuss it with Draco first. It sounded odd even to herself—talking about it with <em>Malfoy<em> of all people. But they were allies, albeit unexpected ones, and this required a certain degree of trust between them…not much, but at least the bare minimum, right? As she walked over to the fireplace, Ginny curiously looked up from the magazine she was casually flipping through.

"What's got you smiling like that, Hermione?"

"Oh, nothing." She replied airily as she connected her Floo with Draco's in what she hoped was in a discreet manner. From Ginny's perspective, Hermione could just be gazing pensively into the fireplace.

"Whose Floo are you connecting to right now?"

Internally sighing, Hermione sheepishly turned around to face the girl who was sprawled across the living room couch. Ginny had always been more perceptive than the average; it was both a blessing and a curse for the people around her.

"Malfoy's." She confessed begrudgingly.

Ginny squealed in delight and dropped the magazine to rush over and envelop her friend in a crushing hug. "I knew it! Things are going well for you two, huh?"

"Define well." Hermione stalled, chewing on the inside of her mouth.

The redhead leaned back and stroked her chin in thought. "Snogging without any real reason to."

The brunette nearly choked on air. It was scary how close to home she had hit with that one. "Well…there is a reason behind it."

Ginny's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "So you two really have been snogging?" She grinned widely and let out another chain of excited squeals. "I knew it! What's the reason?"

"You say it like we've been snogging regularly when it's only happened once. It's just physical attraction." Hermione stated. "Nothing more, okay? Just plain physical attraction."

Ginny threw her arms around the witch before her again and wiggled her eyebrows. "Physical attraction is almost always the first step. You know what comes next…" She trailed off suggestively, and at this point, she was almost leering.

Hermione blushed and shook her head vigorously. "No, that can't be it…"

"Oh Merlin, whatever has you turning red like that isn't it. Get your mind out of the gutter, Hermione!" Ginny laughed in amusement. "I was talking about _feelings_."

The older witch raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "I don't think _feelings_ will be developing anytime soon, Gin." She was hit with a sudden realization. "Well, okay I did say something about wanting to understand him better, but it's just out of curiosity. That's just how I am, so there's nothing special to it. Besides, I've only been reacquainted with him for, what? Two days?"

Ginny pursed her lips before smirking and guiding Hermione over to the couch where they both sat down. "Here's the thing, Hermione. Feelings don't just suddenly start developing in the middle—they grow from the beginning and get stronger as your bond with the other person strengthens. Somewhere down the road, however, these feelings will come to a crossroad where you'll have to choose whether to continue down this platonic path or take a chance and go for the kill—make that lucky boy yours." Hermione scrunched up her face at that, but remained silent for Ginny the-relationship-expert to continue. "You and my brother took that chance, but it didn't work out as we'd all hoped it would. I was depressed for days, you know? You're never going to be my sister-in-law now…oh, I'm digressing. There are different paths that you can take, but these paths aren't mutually exclusive; sometimes they overlap after being separated and come to another intersection where you can choose another route. I guess what I'm trying to say is that feelings can most definitely change over time, whether during a short or long period, and thus your relationships with them. Right now, you and Malfoy are already dangerously close to blurring the distinct path between acquaintances/friends and something more. The question is then, Hermione—are you willing to let this continue and see where it leads? Because if you don't take a step back now, you're going to soon find yourself in pretty deep. You can always pull out later, but sometimes when you decide to pull out after you're in too deep, the friendship is lost and can't be rekindled to the same level as it was before. Relationships are all about taking the right risks—hell, life is all about making decisions and taking chances."

Hermione absorbed in all this information and began the process of analyzing it. "Yes, that makes a lot of sense to me. But how do you know what the right risks to take are?"

Ginny shrugged and flashed her a mysterious smile. "You don't; you won't know unless you try. That's the beauty of relationships."

"That sounds too uncertain for my taste." Hermione admitted with a laugh.

_Are you willing to let this continue and see where it leads?_

She tucked the question away for the time being. "But I understand…you really are knowledgeable when it comes to relationships, Gin."

The younger witch shrugged again. "It's one of the more interesting mysteries of the world to think about when there's nothing better to do." She sucked in a sharp breath. "And as you know, I've had my fair share of relationships…failed ones, that is."

Hermione bit her lip before hesitantly asking, "Where do you and _that guy_ stand on this road?"

Ginny released a bitter chuckle and gave the woman beside her a sad glance. "We're not even on the road. We've both strayed so far off in opposite directions that we can no longer see each other anymore."

The brunette grabbed her friend's hands and gave them a good squeeze. "Perhaps that's how it feels like now, but the road isn't straight. Somehow, it will curve and wind until your paths are connected once again." Hermione smiled and reached up to brush a strand of ginger hair away from her watering eyes. "I'm sure of it."

* * *

><p><strong>Was anyone expecting all that angst? I sure wasn't...it just happened. We'll find out the whole story behind the conflict between Ginny and Blaise in due time! ~Claudi Skies<strong>


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